A Choice of Faults
by Noon30ish
Summary: Jack meets a teenager who can see him! Yeah, yeah, woop-dee-doo. But this teenager works for Pitch and wants nothing to do with the Winter Spirit. Jack doesn't know this and in the course of a few days everything becomes a search for truth that may lead to disaster for the Guardians. Rated T for blood, injury, trauma, language, and possibly abuse. Iffy JackxOC... not sure yet.
1. A Stranger Nightmare

**Chapter 1** - _A Stranger Nightmare  
><em>

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><p>There was a boy. His hair was dark and messy. His brown eyes reflected everything with a sense of freedom and excitement. The warmth they evoked spread to everyone who met him. He smiled and ran without thinking that anything bad could happen. He was barefoot and carefree.<p>

The air was fresh and the trees were green. The water was clear and refreshing and an excellent weapon for splashing unsuspecting children. Holding his breath and swimming through the depths, he became as silent as a deer in the woods and snuck up to the kids he was taking care of while the adults worked. Without warning, he jumped up and waves of summer water crashed into the kids, causing a friendly frenzy. Then the colors of the trees changed and he became more daring. Hanging from the limb with perfect ease, he waited until they came nearby. He jumped from the tree to prank the little kids and filled his heart with content as they shrieked and laughed at his foolishness. The wind brought the white gleam of snow and he began to toss snowballs at the kids. They would start little wars without the pain and suffering that comes with true war. There was too much fun to be had before the kids had to grow up.

There was one girl, however, to whom he was especially close. She followed him everywhere, laughed with him, and asked him thousands of questions. He would usually answer, but when he didn't, he ran, making her chase him. Then he spun and fell to the ground, laughing breathlessly as he catapulted the little girl high in the air. She landed in his arms with equally breathless giggles.

On the way home one day, he pet her head as she pouted. Going home meant leaving fun behind. He assured her that they would have fun again tomorrow.

"Will we go skating again tomorrow?" Their voices faded in and out, filtered by hundreds of bare tree branches.

"Sure." He was taken aback. "I thought you didn't like skating?"

"If none of the other kids are around to laugh at me, then maybe I'll like it."

His light laughter filled the air. He said something that was filtered by white noise.

"And─" her soft voice cut out momentarily, "─too?" Static began to distort the surroundings.

The boy looked back to an unknown focal point questioningly. "Perhaps," he answered tentatively, "but head on home. I'll be there soon, promise."

But time skipped and he fell, looking at the girl's fear-ridden face one last time. This time, he didn't land in the snow. His breath caught and his limbs were numb with shock, making it impossible to swim back to the surface. The water surrounded every inch of him and began to fill his mouth and nose and stream around his fingers and drench his clothes. He became heavier and weaker with every passing second. The little girl helplessly screamed his name. His vision and his memories faded as the ice covered the surface once more. He was nothing more than a disturbance to nature's course.

As he stilled, a sound rang through the water. _Beep, beep, beep!_ Annoyed, he struggled to cover his ears. _Beep, beep, beep! _With impatience and cold water that filled his lungs, he screamed. _Beep, beep, beep!_

_Beep, beep, beep!_

The girl woke up with a start, gasping and coughing. In her desperation, she ripped off the blanket and threw it at the abomination. She threw her hands over her ears and tried to find something to stare at for longer than a second. The panic swept through her as if she were the one who drowned. Her eyes were straining to remain one color, as the greens and yellows danced between confusion and insanity. Her coughing became more violent the more that she tried to calm down. Eventually, she lay herself down and hugged her knees to her chest and let the panic blow over. Try as hard as she could to force the swelling emotions out, she could not sob. Time halted and taunted her relentlessly.

When her heart began to slow, she exhaled and stood up slowly from the low bed. She walked over to the lumped mass of blanket and nightstand and picked up the former. The ringing became louder and then was silenced as she clicked the alarm off.

Rubbing her arms, she turned and looked out the window above the bed. Snow had fallen again. She wished it would melt away already, it was almost Easter. She frowned and looked at the time. It was already past noon, but she felt like she hadn't slept at all the night before. The white snow reminded her of the nightmare and she turned away bitterly. Shivering, not because of the cold, she picked up and tossed the blanket back on the bed and slumped down to the floor. She held her head in her left hand and stared at her right. Studying her fingers, she noticed that her fingerprints had pruned, as if she had spent too long in the bath. Furrowing her brows, she sprung up and fell backwards onto the bed with her arms spread out.

"I should stop watching bad TV so late at night," she laughed nervously, trying to shake off the episode.

In reality, bad TV probably had little to do with the present matter. It may have been the shot of tequila, but it wasn't bad TV. For all it was worth, at least she wasn't in hysterics anymore. A panic attack like that hadn't happened in years, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this one was different from the others. The others only elevated her heart to the point where she thought she would die and then slow back down, all the while questioning her sanity. This one had given her a lasting fear that permeated the entire room in a foul stench. Or maybe she needed a shower. Holding her arm above her head, she turned her head and sniffed her armpit. There was no detectable odor, so she laughed at herself and shook her head. _I'm going crazy, that's all, _she thought exasperatedly. She sighed and tried to relax, closing her eyes.

_Beep, beep, beep!_

The girl gasped with surprise and stared at the alarm clock. She thought she had turned off the alarm. This time, she reached over and unplugged the damn thing.

But it wouldn't stop beeping.

Realization dawned on her and she shook her head. "What do you want?"

The ringing ceased and a voice replaced it. "I have another job for you," said a voice that crackled through the alarm clock.

"It's been a while," she commented disappointedly. "I thought I was finally off the hook."

"It's nearly time," the voice persisted, "and I need your help to complete the preparations."

The girl stretched and yawned. It was always nearly time for him. "Look, I understand that you must be a busy guy, but I thought you told me I was free to go. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to get on with that. A deal's a deal."

The alarm clock gave a loud ring and the girl shrieked, slapping the alarm clock off the stand and sending the thing across the room. "Damn it, Pitch!"

"I've given you plenty of time to be free! I told you," the voice growled before returning to a softer tone, "I would call on you if I needed you. I need you now."

"Aww," the girl crooned, unaffected by his dark demeanor. "I didn't know you felt that way. Gee, I almost felt bad."

The alarm rang louder but she didn't shriek. Instead, she walked up to the plastic timekeeper and stomped on it with her bare foot. The piece smoldered and smoked underneath as she smiled in triumph. A small laugh escaped her lips.

But the room became darker and she turned toward the window. Staring at her through the dirty glass was an unruly shadow with bright yellow eyes.

"Next time," the shadow murmured, "use that power on the jobs that I give you."

"Next time," the girl retorted, "let a girl get some damn sleep!"

"My enemies are down on their knees and you want to take a nap?!" the shadow boomed, casting dark specks of sand through the cracks in the glass.

Without flinching, the girl replied, "If they are almost finished, then you don't need my help!"

"Cinder! Listen to me when I order you!" The shadow began to push against the glass, seeping through the cracks.

Fuming with anger, the girl named Cinder held up her hands to the glass and focused. Almost instantly, the shadow dissipated when flames licked at the glass with intense heat.

"Sorry, Pitch. Back off my case and do it yourself."

Extinguishing her fire, she felt amazed and out of breath. It was true that he had given her _some_ time to be free. It had been nearly a month since he had called on her and ordered her to do his bidding. And she had no way to repel against his will when he contracted her. Any task he asked of her would be done without hesitation; that's what made her scarily useful. She didn't mind at first because it was a good way to pay him back for his kindness, all those years ago. But he said the contract was voided a month ago, and it felt good to be in control again. She didn't feel the need to listen to him anymore.

She walked over to the mirror to see the damage. Her red hair was frizzy and unkempt, but it was nothing that a hot shower couldn't fix. Staring carefully, she checked to see if her eyes had changed again. This time they stayed green. Her night clothes, which hung loosely off her body, were bare but adequate since she was never cold. A black scar that ran underneath her left clavicle was visible through the thin clothing. Content, she rolled her shoulders and heard them crack. _Motel beds are the worst, _she decided as she walked toward the bathroom. _One last free shower before I check out, I guess._

Steam spilled over and around the shower curtain and filled the room with a lazy haze. Humming to herself, Cinder carefully went over the details of her dream. She was sure she had never seen the boy before in her hundreds of years of life. Yet, he seemed so familiar to her; an aching sort of familiar that confused words and thoughts and focused with all its might on breaking down the person who bore those thoughts. It frustrated her so much that she accidentally burned through the soap that she was holding. Calming down, she put the experience in the back of her mind and continued to hum.

Cinder didn't hear from Pitch again until four years had passed.

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><p>"Cinder, can you hear me?"<p>

Sitting on a public bus with her head hung low, Cinder peeked around furtively. She didn't want to look crazy, but then she realized she was the only other person on the bus beside the driver. Good thing, too, because she was amazingly hung over. Despite the raging headache, she took a chance.

Turning to face the window, she murmured, "It's been a long time. Did you die again or something?"

"Is that how you greet an old," there was a sinister pause, "acquaintance?" The last word was thickly layered with venom.

"Miss you, too," Cinder blinked, apparently unfazed. The world outside was rainy and dull, but at least it wasn't snowing. People were walking with umbrellas close to their faces as wind spattered droplets everywhere that they could go. The pane of glass was misted and dotted with crystal clear prickles of water. Some were trailing, racing each other down to the sill. Others were content to stay as they were, in their captive environment against the wind caused by the bus's forward momentum. She felt much the same; a rock being beat against by a stream. She was resilient, but not indefinite. She knew he was going to come for her eventually. "Something happen?"

"More like I have something for you to do," the voice rasped.

"Well, Pitch," Cinder started, "if you had waited as long as this, the first time you asked me to do something after setting me free, I might have been more compliant."

"Silence!" Then Pitch hesitated. "I have lost a lot of my power, and I need to feed off some fear. Can you do that for me?"

Cinder was shocked and confused. Had her refusal to his plea led to this? "Why didn't you ask me this sooner? If you were in danger I could have─"

"As I have said," Pitch repeated, "I lost a lot of power, and it's taken a lot just to communicate with you." His voice was starting to fade out.

Cinder bit her lip in concentration. Her contract was over and she didn't owe this guy anything anymore. He saved her, sure, but she had already repaid him with her service. She was free now. And yet she said thanks by backing off on him when he needed her.

Cinder let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Okay, fair enough. What do you need me to do?"

Her eyes flickered yellow and glowed, absorbing the information she received.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello, everybody! This is my first ROTG FanFic. I promise the chapters won't be awfully short like this one; most will be around 4000-6000 words after the fifth chapter or so (I have a lot of it already written, but I'll take suggestions). ****So please, read and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear it!**

**Updates are weekly, on either Fridays or Saturdays!**


	2. Jack's Return

**A/N: This is just a heads up. POVs will be both Jack and Cinder, but never in the same chapter to avoid confusion. Also, for the purpose of the story, I've given Jack's sister the name Sophie as well. She is briefly mentioned here but she will be more important later on. Please read and review and above all, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong> - _Jack's Return_

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><p>"Happy New Years, everyone!" Tooth's cheery voice rang throughout the halls at the North Pole.<p>

The Sandman clapped his hands and cheered a silent, pictorial celebration. Bunny shouted agreement, tossing his boomerang in the air and catching it again without skipping a beat. North hollered and waved his cutlasses around the table, causing Bunny to lean back out of fear for his throat. Jack laughed and tilted North's cutlass with his staff away from Bunny.

"Happy New Years to you, too, Tooth," Jack replied. Tooth swooned visibly. Baby Tooth fluttered against Jack's cheek and snuggled into his hood, sighing with content.

"Ah," North interrupted, "but real reason we are here because with New Year comes new plans, yes? Everybody have plans for year? Bunny?"

This is the part where Jack began to space out. Every year the Guardians met to discuss what their new ideas were and how they would go about them. But the thing is, every year it was the same thing: agendas, deadlines, gimmicks. Jack grimaced inwardly and lay back with his hands behind his head. He never had anything to bring to the table these past four years because all he had to do was have fun. That was his center, wasn't it? He thought that he wasn't going to be subjected to all of this adult-like planning. Unfortunately, he wasn't about to skirt around his Guardian duties so easily. They always called him out.

Sandy yanked on Jack's sleeve, indicating with his dream sand that it was Jack's turn. Jack came back to reality with a quick shake of the head.

"Welcome back, Frostbite." Bunny feigned a cheerful greeting. "Care to tell us what you'll be doin' with that ice-makin' stick of yours _this_ year?"

Jack thought about saying he'd hit Bunny with it, and had the words formed on his lips, but figured he might as well get this over with.

"Oh, you know," Jack started smoothly, "freeze things, make children miss school to have snowball fights, shoot ice beams at people─"

North cleared his throat, signaling to Jack that he was starting to get off topic.

"─And bring joy to children," Jack tacked onto the ending. "You don't mind if I get to doing that, do you?" Jack gestured towards the window near the top of the high ceiling. That was his usual entrance now that he didn't have to fight yetis in order to see North.

"If you must," North put his hand to his head, disapprovingly. "Someday you must take dis seriously, Jack."

"Not anytime soon," Jack promised.

North laughed. "Fair enough, Frost! Now go! Go!" He laughed heartily.

Baby Tooth sighed sadly and rubbed her head against Jack's cheek before fluttering back to Tooth. Jack smiled and waved, to which both Tooth and Baby Tooth fluttered. It was always so sweet of them to take such an interest, and Jack promised to himself that he had to visit them at the Tooth Palace soon. He knew Tooth enjoyed the company enough to take the occasional break. Perhaps she enjoyed it a little too much, but Jack didn't mind. He entertained the thought with a smirk and jumped toward the window like he was made of air.

After Jack had flown out the window, Bunny exhaled loudly. "That ice-brain doesn't take anything seriously! He never has and never will! Why'd we make him a Guardian, anyway?"

Tooth swatted Bunny with her wing, clearly offended by the statement. "If it wasn't for Jack, we'd have been destroyed by Pitch. And Jack helped us become closer to the children again. You remember, don't you, Bunny?"

Bunny rolled his eyes in agreement and changed the conversation. "So do you have any new choppahs, Tooth?"

Everyone except Tooth immediately wished that Bunny hadn't asked.

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><p>Jack thought about going farther south to mess with southerners' minds by bringing them masses of snow, but then he passed by Burgess. Stopping himself in midair, he couldn't resist peering down. Immediately, he saw the pond of so many memories and events, and there were dots swirling around on its surface. Hopeful and curious, Jack lowered himself down to take a closer look.<p>

Jack landed at the pond in Burgess with little sound. He snuck over behind a tree that had fallen over due to one of his latest ice storms. He felt proud of his handiwork and smirked as he peeked over the frozen bark. He had been right.

Jamie and his friends were playing an impromptu ice hockey game with Cupcake as the goalie. She fit that role well, Jack noted. She had grown in the past four years. She was no longer the quiet, angry 10-year-old that all of the other kids were afraid of scaring. Instead, she was equally scary, but not in a bullying way. Her muscles were defined underneath her slim workout pullover and her short spiky hair moved without getting in her face. The twins were tall and lanky, easily towering over the other kids. Monty had ditched the glasses and braces and traded them for contacts and very straight, white teeth. _Tooth would be gawking over them if she were here,_ Jack mused, a smile curling on his lips. Pippa had also grown up nicely. She had grown out her hair, so now it was a long, wavy brown that was tucked away in her jacket, although strands flew out occasionally during play. She was noticeably a woman now, and Jack could tell Jamie thought so, too. Jamie was leading the makeshift puck toward the goal, his mop top hair slicked back by the wind. Grinning, Jack saw that Jamie no longer had the tooth gap in the front. Jamie glided past Pippa and passed her the puck willingly when she asked.

But then Jamie saw someone past the goal, and he smiled wider, forgetting about his forward momentum.

"Jack!" Jamie stood stock still in amazement. It had been four years since Jamie had last seen Jack, and he hadn't aged at all.

"Hey, kiddo!" Jack jumped from behind the log and crashed into Jamie in a huge, heartwarming hug that had them toppling onto the ice. It had been four years since Jack had seen Jamie, and Jack missed him. "You've gotten so old!"

"You're the one with─"

All of the other kids drowned out the last Jamie's response as they crowded Jack with hugs and questions galore. Jack loved this part of his job most of all. The kids who could see him would always want him to stop and play, and he readily agreed. After three hundred years of not being seen, this was the greatest thing in the world. His happiness beamed every time a kid muttered his name in surprise from inside their rooms. His ice powers increased whenever a child asked him to make a snow sculpture out of thin air or build a snowman with them. Their laughter became his, and he thrived. This was what being a Guardian was supposed to be, not all of those silly, meaningless meetings that kept him cooped up inside a disgustingly warm environment. Why do that when he could be flying in the bitingly cold breeze, gifting snow days to anyone who saw him?

Then he drowned them out and thought for a second. They were all four years older, in their teens. Were they still young enough to believe? Clearly, he decided, and let the thought slide from his mind.

"So," he started when they had all calmed down, "who wants to be on my team?"

A large chorus of I-do's rang throughout the crowd. Jack looked for Jamie amongst them, but he was missing. Confused, he turned around and looked at the log he was hiding behind earlier. Ducking out of the way of a snowball just in time, he heard Jamie's disappointment as he stomped on the log. Jack laughed and hurled an instant snowball back at Jamie, who only ducked partly and got hit in the arm.

"I guess that's make you the opposing captain," Jack laughed.

"I'll get you, Jack!" Jamie hollered with another snowball already in his hand. Jack had taught him well. "Get ready for this one!"

Jack was about to fly up when the twins held his feet in place, grinning mischievously. Jamie's snowball hit him square in the stomach, making him gasp in surprise.

"So that's how it is," Jack surmised craftily. Conjuring up more snow, he blanketed a wide area around them, making high walls that encapsulated a section of ice, forest, and rock face. There were fallen trees and larger snow piles that were turned into hideouts and cover. A battle was about to begin. "No one can pass those barriers or their team loses!"

This fight was far more hectic than their past snowball fights, four years ago. Jack found that with their four years of growth came incredible skills with the snowball. The twins, Monty, and Jamie were on one team, and Jack had Pippa and Cupcake. This was still a little less than fair, because Cupcake was immensely strong and Jack was... well, Jack Frost. It didn't help that Pippa had a noticeable pull on Jamie, either. Jamie purposely avoided hitting her or ignored her completely so that he wouldn't face her. This gave Jack an idea about how to win.

He made his way across the arena to where Pippa was hiding behind a makeshift base. He whispered faintly in her ear and a devilish smile spread across her face. Looking at Jack and nodding, she stood up and walked directly into the middle of the arena, not even bothering to completely avoid the snowballs hurtling toward her. Most of them missed or hit her pant legs, anyway. The ones that were closer she simply sidestepped. Not that anyone was aware, but Jack was making it so that the snow evaded her. It was a hard task that the spirit of winter wasn't used to pulling off, yet it worked quite well. She walked up behind Jamie and tapped him on the shoulder.

Jamie whirled around, a mass of snow in his hands ready to drop. He stopped dead when he saw who it was. He smirked, believing he knew what she was doing.

"So, are you trying to call a truce, Pippa?" Jamie smiled coyly. "Well it won't work!" He was about to turn around on his heel when Pippa's hand fell on his shoulder. Freezing in place, he stared at her hand, then back at her.

Without warning, Pippa leaned in and kissed Jamie's cheek. Stunned, he started to stutter and ramble incoherently about how completely uncalled for her action was and how she was cheating the game and that she wasn't helping her team but none of it came out right. His cheeks flushed a bright red as he silenced himself, embarrassed at making a fool of himself.

It was then that Jack whirled his staff around and made a large amount of snow accumulate above Jamie. Pulling on Jamie's jacket deftly, he let the snow fall directly onto Jamie's back. Jack then snapped the jacket back, put more snow in Jamie's hood, and threw it over his head. Taken completely by surprise, Jamie made an awful shrieking noise and jumped up and down, trying to alleviate the intense cold against his back.

"Jack!" Jamie shouted indignantly. "That wasn't fair!"

Jack simply swirled his staff around and tapped the end of it on the ground twice, smirking as he did so.

Nothing happened for a moment. Jamie was about to run toward Jack when a copious amount of snow fell heavily, burying him beneath it all. Stepping one foot onto the pile, Jack announced his victory.

His smile couldn't be wiped off of his face even if the world outside of this arena fell to ashes around him. He had Jamie and his friends around him, the first people that saw him and saved the Guardians. Jack couldn't be happier for the moment.

Jamie popped his head out of the snow, pouting in defeat. "Next time, Jack, you're so going down!"

"We'll see how that goes." Jack winked.

After playing a few more games with Jack, the kids began to leave, one-by-one. Homework, chores, and dinner, among other reasons, sent them off the ice and up the hill. Jamie remained, eager to catch up with the one who made him believe in the Guardians again.

"Jack," Jamie's voice was noticeably deeper, Jack noted. "Man, it's so good to see you again!"

"I almost thought you wouldn't see me at all," Jack admitted.

"Are you kidding me? You told me that as long as I believed, I'd always be able to see you."

Jack smiled and sat up on the ledge that hung over the far side of the pond, looking away with distant eyes. All of this change was difficult to keep up with, and it had only been four years. "Yeah, you're right."

In reality, Jack knew that Jamie would grow up eventually, and that he would forget about Jack and the Guardians. Jack ached for that never to happen; he constantly clung to the idea of him and Jamie being friends forever. But bitterness settled in the back of his mind because he knew that there would be a day when there was no Jamie Bennett, and Jack would have to continue his Guardianship with merely a memory. Thankfully, there was no way he could lose his memories again, now that he had them all back.

Suddenly remembering Jamie's interaction with Pippa just before Jack showed up, he snickered. "So, you and Pippa, hmm?"

Jamie blushed and turned away. "What about her?"

"You like her!" Jack answered as Jamie rolled his eyes. "And don't tell me it's not true, I can tell if you're lying."

Jamie stared at him and laughed, trying to cover up his blushing. "No you can't, Jack!"

"Oh yeah? Are you calling me a liar?" Jack jumped down from the ledge, landing softly beside Jamie. He reached and put his arm around Jamie's shoulders, shocked to realize that Jamie was almost as tall as he was. "Don't worry, she definitely likes you back. I can tell you that."

Jamie was caught off guard. "Does she?"

"Oh yeah, big, mushy, pink hearts floating around her and everything," Jack waved his arms around and Jamie wasn't sure if Jack was being dead serious or sarcastic. "Do you want me to get Cupid to come by and help you out?"

"Funny," Jamie mused, "seems like you haven't grown up at all."

"Aw, now who said that I would?" Jack leaned on his staff and arched an eyebrow.

"So what have you been doing, Jack?"

"Oh, you know," Jack fell into repetition, "freezing things, flying places. Twenty-four-seven fun stuff."

"Wow," Jamie sat down on the rock that popped out from the middle of the pond. In the summer, they used this rock to play King of the Hill (although Cupcake usually won, so it was really Queen of the Hill most days). During the winter, it merely served as a nasty trip for those who went ice skating. "I wish I could still be doing that sort of thing."

"Why's that, kiddo?"

"Well, for starters, there's school." Jamie began to explain and ramble about his life now that he was going to begin high school after the summer. His eyes widened as he went into detail about how much work he was going to get assigned and how he couldn't believe the amount of new kids that he would be meeting. He mentioned briefly how he may make new friends and how he worried about losing the ones that he had. _He definitely paused when he said Pippa's name, _Jack smirked. Then Jamie explained how, now that he's old enough, he has to watch Sophie some days instead of hanging out with his friends. Occasionally, he would take Sophie with him to play with the others, but she always wound up getting hurt some way or another. It was annoying and he didn't like it but she's his sister so he has to watch her.

"But not for the next week, I won't." Jamie concluded.

"Oh?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Jamie answered, "I think we might get someone to move in and help with the housework and watch Sophie while mom goes on this company trip or whatever."

"Really?" Jack was intrigued. "Have you met them yet?"

"Not yet, they're moving in sometime within the week, if we're lucky. And then we go back to school on Tuesday."

"Maybe we could give them a good, old-fashioned 'Jack Frost hello'?" Jack grinned mischievously.

"I am so in on that!" Jamie agreed.

No sooner were the words out that Jamie was spewing out ideas about what he and Jack could do for pranks. Perhaps they both knew that time was running out for them to be together. Jack wanted something memorable to tag onto the word "Jamie." He wanted to know that Jamie would grow up to be the man that Jack Frost never became. Sometimes he was vaguely upset that he had to die so young. His sister, also named Sophie, had to live the rest of her years without her beloved brother, and he never got to watch her turn into the beautiful young lady that he knew she became. To make it up to her, somehow, was Jack's purpose. He served as a protector and provider to the children of the world because he wanted them to grow up knowing that they had all the fun they could have possibly wanted. A faint, sad smile touched Jack's lips when he looked up at the stars, marveling at the crisp night sky.

But then something caught his attention. Lights flickered around the stars and stillness settled over the night. A chill sent even Jack Frost into shivers. Jamie stopped talking and looked at Jack expectantly.

"What's going on, Jack?"

"The Northern Lights," Jack muttered. "Something's wrong. You should go home, Jamie."

"But what about our plans, Jack?" Jamie complained, but Jack was already rising into the air, anxious to get back to the North Pole.

"Tomorrow, Jamie," Jack answered, "I promise. It's probably not a big deal," he tried to reassure the boy.

But in his heart, Jack knew North wouldn't have sent the signal if there wasn't something wrong. Calling to the wind, Jack flew off with great speed and urgency.

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><p><strong>AN: Sort of a boring chapter, but some important grounds had to be set in place. Next chapter is much more interesting!**


	3. At Odds

**Chapter 3** - _At Odds_

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><p>North and the others were still sitting around at the North Pole because the discussion was paused every time that Tooth was given updated information on children's teeth. She hardly got a sentence out before she was back to ordering her fairies. Sandy decided he had to get back to his job, which was the exact definition of "full-time" since the globe was always turning, and it was always night somewhere. This left Bunny and North to eternally bicker amongst themselves about which holiday was more important: Easter or Christmas. During the argument, North had noticed specks of black sand on the globe of lights, and walked up in the middle of Bunny's monologue about the importance of his eggs to check it out.<p>

"Are you listenin', North?" Bunny stopped after he realized North was behind him staring at the globe, ignoring him. "North?"

"Bunny," North warned him. "Is not good. You see what I see, no?" He then pointed to a small portion of the globe in Northern Canada.

"What," Bunny hopped over, "is Jack puttin' lights out, now?" He was joking, but only because he couldn't see what North was staring at.

"Is not Jack," North said gravely, grabbing a hold of Bunny and holding him closer to the spot on the globe. "Is black sand!"

The normally cheerful meeting hall with bright red carpets and clean wooden beams became an ominous stage bathed in harsh light. Before Bunny could answer, North let go of him. He muttered something about getting Jack back to the North Pole, but in less polite terms. Putting his hand on the switch that would send out the Northern Lights, he paused. "Rimsky Korsakov," North swore just before he activated the lights.

Tooth finally stopped for a full second to realize what North had done. "Wait, North? What are you doing? What's going on? Are you sure that's really necessary?" Each question became more worrisome as it left her lips.

"We have no choice, Tooth," North became more urgent. "Black sand appeared on globe, and no one has time but Jack. And," North looked into one of his globe portals he took out of his pocket. The swirls of snow lessened to reveal a dark village of only a few houses and one or two streets, with no snow in sight. "It happens to be town Jack has not sent snow yet."

"Well, couldn't it just all be coincidence?" Tooth suggested dubiously.

"Den why is black sand dere?" North stressed. "Pitch has not been seen in four years! He could be planning somezing big," North spread his arms wide with disbelief, then put his head in his hand and began pacing the room.

"Maybe he's trying to set us a trap," Bunny offered in explanation.

"So why send Jack?" Tooth asked.

"Because, was his job!" North slammed his hands on the table, which spooked Bunny.

"What's going on, North?" Jack flew in through the high window and landed on top of the globe. He perched forward, leaning on his staff and looked at the remaining Guardians. Sandman had already left the meeting, and Tooth was covertly ordering her fairies so as not to disturb the current events unfolding. Even she wouldn't look in his direction long enough for them to lock eyes. They all seemed on edge as they peered up at him carefully. "Is there something wrong, guys? I mean, you used the lights, didn't you?" Jack looked at each of the Guardians questioningly in turn.

Everyone looked away uncomfortably except North, who sighed heavily. Jack narrowed his eyes and braced for some sort of vocal disappointment. Jack didn't think that he did anything wrong, but they all looked worried for some reason or another. _Was my leaving their meeting really that big a deal? I mean, come on, I was doing my job! That's why I'm a Guardian!_

North peered up at Jack and spoke after a long silence. "Jack, move left foot." North gestured.

Jack looked down and moved his bare foot off a part of Northern Canada. He saw a small mound of black sand rolling down the side of the globe, loosened by his foot. Some had even stuck to the bottom of his foot. He furrowed his brow as he tried to wipe the sand off. _This isn't right. If Pitch had been here, we would have known. But there's no way he's back,_ Jack tried to assure himself.

"Pitch," was all that Jack could mumble, still concentrated on the idea and the sand. "There's no way," he stated as he glided to the floor, landing softly. "He imprisoned, isn't he?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time we didn't believe the big guy," Bunny pointed to North.

"Jack, take globe and go to village," North ordered him, shoving a portal globe into his hands. "See what is going on, and fix it. Make sure Pitch is not problem."

"But why me? Can't one of you guys go instead?" Jack waved to the other Guardians.

"Jack," Tooth touched his shoulder affectionately, "you haven't sent any snow there yet. It might be better if you check it out."

Jack hated that they were ordering him around, but he couldn't be angry at Tooth. She meant well, and he knew that. But he couldn't shake off the disapproving looks from Bunny. Jack narrowed his eyes in Bunny's direction, mocking his expression. Bunny's look changed to one of disbelief and he strutted off angrily. And to think that they had been getting along so well recently. When Jack turned his eyes back to North, even he looked more concerned than jolly. In fact, the giant man had a stern look painted on his face. Jack visibly lowered his shoulders in acquiescence. "Alright, fine. I'll go."

_This is ridiculous, _Jack rolled his eyes as he hopped out of the window with his staff and portal globe held tightly. The brisk air bit at his face and he took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. This weather seemed to be the only solace he had some days, even after becoming a Guardian. Once kids had gone to bed, he would often have nights where all he did was make random snowmen on lawns or long, claw-like icicles off of roofs. Granted these nights were never rare, yet every time they did happen he was reminded of the past three hundred lonely years. That experience didn't go away, not easily. Jack exhaled after a long while and tossed the globe in front of him. Pushing off against the roof of North's workshop, he launched himself through the portal and flew to whatever errand the other Guardians wanted him to run.

But what he saw he didn't think he would ever forget, even if he wanted to.

A bright orange light flickered against the blackness, hiding the stars above. The fire had already engulfed the entire house on the far edge of town, opposite from where he was watching from the sky. The light was intense, even for Jack, and the heat that it gave off was even more so. The screams of the townspeople were varying from confusion to terror. Even worse, Jack could hear children screaming in fear.

_Fear..._

Jack raced off to the house as fast as he possibly could. He shot ice from his staff at the house, but the flames hardly flickered. Although his ice was freezing cold, the fire only showed a slow retreat and made stopping it nearly impossible. Then a noise rose above the crackling and made him look closer despite the intense heat drying out his eyes. He recognized a girl crying in the window and tore straight for her, ignoring the blaze. Jack crashed through the window, shattering heated glass around him. The adults below saw nothing except flames licking the sides of the sill on the second floor.

Once inside the room, Jack realized exactly how hot this fire had become. It was bothering even him, which was unusual. His frost and general frigidity had always kept him cold and comfortable. But this heat was eating at his feet and hands and burning his eyes so that they were little more than struggling tears as he tried to blink moisture back into them. An ember caught on his sleeve and burned straight through to his skin, making him grimace painfully and flick the piece away. Looking around in desperation, he saw the little girl cowering under a table. When he tried to take a step toward her, the floor underneath his feet gave way. Jack gasped as he jumped toward the girl and froze the ground where he was once standing. The ice didn't last long, though, as a pool of water was already evaporating into the air.

"Who are you?" the girl trembled, barely looking up. The poor girl was so terribly frightened and confused that she couldn't make the connection.

"Jack Frost," he said simply, knowing that she believed if she was able to see him. Thank the Man in the Moon that was the case. Otherwise, Jack didn't think he would have been able to get this girl to safety.

"Are you here to put the fire out?" she whispered, coughing from the thick smoke that was starting to curl under the table.

Jack wished with all his heart that he could. Instead, he picked up the girl and ran down the stairs, only to find that they had already been eaten away by the inferno below. The fire reflected in his eyes as he realized they were trapped. Cursing to himself, he clutched the kid closer to him and used his staff to send ice through another window, which did nothing. Water beads slid down the pane as evidence of his futile attempt. He growled, remembering his powers weren't going to help. Running up to the window, he shouldered the glass. It didn't budge. He walked back a few paces before remembering that there was a hole in the floor. Putting the girl down, she grabbed onto his arm and whimpered fearfully. He knelt down to face her and took her hand from his arm. After murmuring instructions to stay still, he coughed and stood back up. Jack bit his lip and hoped this would work. Trying again, Jack threw his shoulder into the window. There were slight cracks beginning to show, and Jack picked up his staff. Throwing his entire arm into it, he shattered the glass around the top of the table. Jack picked the girl back up, braced himself, and jumped.

He knew the girl was crying, but not because they fell from a two-storey window. Jack had begun flying as soon as he got out of that horrific house. Setting her down on the ground, he tried to soothe her with gentle words. She had begun to calm down when a woman came running up to her.

"Amelia! Sweetheart," she was in hysterics. "How did you get out? Oh no, did you jump?! Are you hurt? Oh my goodness, let's get you something to cool you down!"

"But mom," the kid coughed. "Jack Frost came and saved me. He was pretty cold, so I'm not all that warm anymore." Jack narrowed his eyes at the girl playfully.

Instead of feeling reassured for her daughter's safety, the woman gasped. "Oh dear, the fever is already settling in. Come here, Amelia, sweetheart. Let's get you to the neighbor's."

She started to object when Jack placed his hand on her shoulder. When Amelia looked up at him, Jack smiled and winked, then promised he would be back soon. She smiled and ran to greet her weeping mother with a long, caring hug.

As the scene played out, Jack was reminded of his mother. The way that she hugged him had always been the urgent kind of hug, like she needed him around or she was going to break. She had worked so hard to keep him and his sister safe and sound. In turn, Jack had done all that he could for her, from taking care of Sophie to doing small chores to make her feel better. If a fire had ever gone through the house like this current one, Jack's mother would have been devastated.

Not to mention how she must have felt when Jack drowned.

He shook his head and pushed the thought away as best he could. The stars were hardly visible because of the burning house, and it made him feel somewhat isolated. Jack wanted to help stop the fire, but he already knew his powers were of no use. He looked up at the sky again, and thought he saw something dark, barely outlined by the fire's glow. Before he could look further, a bright ball of light was flying toward him. He vaulted out of the way, only to find that where he was standing was now scorched ground with smoke curling into the winter air. Jack searched the night sky and saw a figure floating above the town. The worn cloak hid the perpetrator's face and hair, obscuring any identifying information. However, two yellow dots were made visible underneath the dark hood. Jack took off to catch the unidentified figure.

Once high in the night air, he twisted himself around anxiously. Whoever it was had already flown off, but Jack knew that they must have started the fire. He gritted his teeth and flew around the area a few more times before settling on the fact that the would-be murderer was gone without a trace.

It was on his way back down to the ground when something intangible hit him. Flashes of images and words had encompassed him. They were overwhelmingly unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. His sister's tearful face flew by, then his mother's solemn one. The scene changed, their faces disappeared, and the pond spread out before him. But unlike the times he had seen it, the surface and surrounding hillsides were ablaze. He sensed behind him an angry man that glared at his back with utter contempt. Jack whirled around and yellow eyes stared from behind the aforementioned man's shoulders, boring into Jack's soul. Then his cloak that he had discarded years ago lifted itself from behind this man and floated over the pond. Jack's neck snapped around, trying to take in all of the information at once. It seemed that someone was wearing the cloak, suspended above the water, and gazing at Jack. All of a sudden it leaped toward him, and the images changed again. Their swirling, random pattern choked him with a slow, seething burn. He had begun to drop to the ground without realizing it. His heart beat became the only thing that he could hear, apart from the flames. Time crawled and fear entangled him, strangling his body in jerky twists.

When he finally hit the ground, everything disappeared in one grand moment. Jack's breath flew out of him so quickly that he could only stare at the black peppered sky in complete bewilderment. Suddenly, he gasped and inhaled sharply when he realized he hadn't been breathing. He shook violently as he sat up and stared at the ground where his feet lay motionless.

_What was that...?_

Jack lay himself back down in the snow and let it seep back into his clothes, instantly frosting as he exhaled deep breaths. Gathering up some snow in his fist, he put the snow directly on his forehead and waited until he could think clearly again. He was too tired and confused to conjure up more snow just to alleviate a headache. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the part of his sweatshirt that had gotten burned. Frowning, he took his other hand and infused ice over the hole, hoping he could fix it better soon.

_Was it because I followed that thing?_ Jack thought at last, believing that the worse was over. _I haven't felt that way since I retrieved my memories from─_

Jack stopped mid thought. He was lying in snow. He _had_ brought snow here! North was either lying, or mistaken. Looking back toward the village, which was below the hill he was on, the fire was still churning. But around the entire village, he realized, the snow had melted. Jack had expected that the fire would melt some snow surrounding the house, but not around the entire village! He thought about the figure perched above the village earlier. Had their fire been so hot as to turn the entire village into a winterless area? Shivering at the thought, he looked around for his staff. He must have dropped it when he fell. He found it a few feet away, unscathed, and used it to push himself up off the ground. Using what power he had, he rose up into the air and decided this place needed some snow before depression settled over the village about the loss of the house.

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><p><strong>Sorry that it's another short chapter but I feel like there was enough happening in this chapter to cut it where I did. I'll probably be updating more frequently while the chapters are shorter (which won't be that way for long). Please review, I want to get better!<strong>


	4. Hot Ashes

**Chapter 4** - _Hot Ashes_

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><p>Cinder was woken up on a bench inside a bus station by someone looming over her, shining a light in her eye. Blinking furiously, she grimaced and muttered something incoherent.<p>

"Miss, this is a public space. You can't sleep here," an authoritative voice boomed, shaking her consciousness. _He needs to stop waving that damn light in my eyes,_ she thought rudely. "You need to get up, ma'am."

"I'll move in a minute," Cinder grumbled. "I just arrived after working all night and thought I could use a quick nap." When she got used to the lighting, she noticed that a cop was staring down at her dubiously.

"It's 12:30pm," the cop stated, looking rather unpleased.

Knitting her brows together, Cinder rolled on the bench and peered at a clock on the opposite wall. It was 12:34pm, actually, but she decided not to argue. Thankfully she wasn't drunk or she'd be in bigger trouble.

"Sorry, officer," she apologized, stretching. "Must have been out longer than I thought. I'll leave as soon as I can."

"Take your time, miss." The officer looked concerned. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, I can walk," Cinder bit back a retort.

"Would you like me to call your parents?"

"No, I'll be fine, really." With that, the officer nodded and walked away. Cinder almost laughed. Her parents were long dead, hundreds-of-years-ago dead, as far as she was concerned. In fact, she never remembered her parents. Even for all that it was worth, Pitch hardly counted. She didn't even want to start thinking about whatever "home" meant...

That brought her to another problem. Cinder needed another place to live, and with that she needed a job. She sat up and patted down her hair, which was rough and frizzy from being kept under a hooded cloak the entire night. Pitch's job had been frustratingly easy, but what had really annoyed her was that she had to remain unseen. It was always funny to watch adults and kids stare up in the sky in disbelief, seeing a girl just floating there. But no, Pitch didn't want Cinder to have fun. That would be too risky. In hindsight, however, Cinder thought it was probably a good idea. That other flying idiot almost ruined everything.

At first, Cinder thought she had been seeing things. It was a weird twist on her point of view, to see someone else flying, but she decided to watch what he did instead. The flying boy was hard to distinguish in the night because his hair and skin was a snowy white and his dark blue sweatshirt had blended into the night. What was more intriguing, however, was the staff that the boy held. Although she was too far up in the sky to understand it exactly, it sent chills through her skin. Not real chills that someone gets when they become cold, no, but something more eerie. Then the boy disappeared into the burning building like a moron. Cinder was about to leave the site when she saw that the boy came out the other side of the building. Incredulous, Cinder warmed up her palm. This white-haired idiot was trying to destroy her job. Pitch would be furious. But by the time she shot the ball of fire that lit in her hand, he saw her and dodged. After that, she flew to the farthest ground she could and hit the ground running. If he followed her, she didn't want to stick out.

The boy had looked at her. And she had looked back at him. If the hood had not been hiding her face, Cinder feared it would have been over for her. Immortality can only go so far, and that boy looked furious enough to take it away from her. His eyes were the worst, though. They bore into her without actually _seeing_ her, and it made her feel uncomfortable. It nagged at the back of her mind that something was off about them. They were _too blue_. It was as if they were not natural, as if they weren't the right color. Then again, flying wasn't a natural human function, either.

Bringing herself back to the present, Cinder stood up and stretched again. Her backpack leaned against the wall on the side of the bench, untouched. She looked around and found the local newspaper on a rack near the ticket counter. As she picked it up, the woman at the ticket counter spoke, startling her.

"You need to pay for that, miss."

Recovering quickly, she replied, "I'm just looking, it's not going anywhere."

The ticket counter women rolled her eyes as if she wasn't paid enough to deal with this, which she probably wasn't. Cinder brought the paper back to the bench and leafed through it until she found the classifieds. She couldn't work at the ticket counter, it required too much information that she didn't have. This was the most frustrating part about immortality. She had to keep changing her IDs, including her Social Security card and her driver's license (learning to drive was too hard, so this was usually forged, anyway) every ten or so years because she never aged. Eventually she gave up and settled for under-the-table jobs. Unfortunately, newspapers were a poor way of finding those kinds of jobs, but it did give her ideas occasionally.

Skimming through the end of the page, she almost gave up until she saw "house-sitter: includes a room to stay" pop out. At this point, she didn't really care what job she took, but this one gave her a place to stay as well; two birds with one stone. There was no way that she was going to pass up this one.

After she dialed the number on the phone in the station, she fingered the ring on her left hand anxiously. It was a silver piece, and trapped in the center was a blue opal. It shone and spots of green and electric blue that speckled the stone constantly shifted underneath the heart shaped facet. She didn't know where it came from, but it wasn't like she could just get rid of it. Sure, it was amazingly pretty, but it would never come off. Try as she might, the piece was stuck around her ring finger, although her fingers had never grown. Something was keeping it there, but she couldn't understand what.

Then a voice crackled on the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi," Cinder spoke with her sweetest, most innocent voice she could muster, "I'm calling about your ad in the paper? You said you needed a house-sitter?"

"Oh, yes," the woman sounded relieved. "Yes, of course. And you are?"

"I'm Cinder," she replied. "Cinder McAllister," she made up on the spot. Every few years she had to change it so that the authorities wouldn't look for her when she disappeared. They usually didn't notice, though, because Cinder made sure no one got too close. But it was always nice to have a backup plan.

"Mhm," the woman must have been scribbling the name down. Hopefully she didn't try to look Cinder up, because she wouldn't find anything. "So Cindy─"

"Cinder," she corrected the woman on the phone.

"I'm sorry?"

"Cinder, C-I-N-D-E-R. Like ashes."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the voice was exhausted. "I've been up so late working that I'm just a little too tired. I really do need the help around here."

"No," Cinder assured her, "no, that's fine. A lot of people don't get it right the first time." Even Cinder had issues with her name.

"Oh, well," the woman paused, "it's a nice name. Anyway, if there's a day that you could come by and see the house, that'd be wonderful."

"I can come by right now if you're not busy," Cinder offered, knowing she didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment.

"Oh, could you?" the woman's voice was hopeful. "Thank you so much."

They spoke for a few more minutes with Cinder relaying all of her relevant information. After the woman gave Cinder the directions, Cinder hung up and walked back to the bench. She picked up her backpack and headed outside the station. She needed some fresh air. She hadn't wanted to relay the story behind her name, but that didn't stop the memories from flooding back into her consciousness.

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><p><em>She woke up sputtering and coughing, wheezing and groaning in pain. She couldn't move. As much as she tried, she was stuck. Every movement sent another wave of pain through whatever she could feel of her body left. Her vision was blurry and shaky; her hearing was replaced with crackling noises and static. When she tried to set herself up on her elbows, something snapped and she fell back down. She wasn't able to scream, hadn't been for awhile now. From what she could tell, she was trapped underneath charred logs. However, her body looked much the same way, black and smoldering. The smell of burning flesh infiltrated her senses and made her sick. Had she been in a fire? How long had she been here? She wasn't sure, but she knew she wasn't supposed to be alive. <em>

_Or maybe this was what death was?_

_Unless her vision was failing her, which it was, she swore she saw someone just past the tree line. Her first attempt to speak ended in a fit of coughing and other grotesque noises._

_"Help... me..." she stuttered feebly, "please, help..."_

_Much to her dimmed surprise, the figure stopped. But it was still too far away, she feared._

_"I'm... trapped, burnt..." this last effort sent her into another outburst of pain._

_Her memory failed her here, but she knew the figure had come to help because next time she awoke, she was being carried. The new position, free from the weight above her, almost felt good. She tried to stretch or move in some way, and a new pain sent her into shock and a small gasp escaped her dry lips._

_"Ouch," she whimpered._

_"Shh, keep quiet," the figure whispered harshly. "You'll be fine in a few minutes."_

_She wasn't sure what that meant. Wasn't she burned completely, from head to toe? She could hardly speak or move, what else could she ever be good for in this state? _

_A new shock made her cry out weakly. She must have blacked out again. Her vision twisting again, she was able to make out that she had been settled onto a snow bank. The snow melted into her back, which was both a pleasant and horrifying sensation. She would have cried if she had had any water in her body at all._

_She looked around for her savior, but he wasn't anywhere close. Her hearing had cleared somewhat, though, and she thought she heard someone close by, talking urgently._

_"Save her!" she heard him yell clearly. "I know that you can!"_

_Then he paused, as if listening to someone else._

_"But she can see me," he offered in answer. "She's the only one after you sent those damn Guardians who can see me! She can't die! I've waited for this for too long!"_

Guardians..._ she thought. Another pause occurred as she strained to hear who he was talking to._

_"One companion in this lonely world is all I ask for!"_

_Confused, the girl tried to sit up. To her amazement, it only hurt enough to make her grunt miserably. Still enough to kill her, probably, but she didn't care._

_"If you won't, then I will!" And that's when he turned to her._

_Fear raced through her heart, which she was surprised to find still beating. His eyes were an intense and insane yellow, and they were trained on her. She tried to get up and run. The antagonizing pain was so great that she could not stand, but she managed a crawl and whimpered hastily. Then suddenly, something made a sickening sound inside her, and she fell to the ground once again. The blackness in the edges of her vision grew until she saw nothing more._

x

_The girl woke up with a start, gasping for breath. Then she clamped her hand over her mouth, thinking she was going to cough violently. When she didn't, she looked at her hands. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the pale, unearthly skin. There were no burn marks. Anxiously, she checked over the rest of her body, looking at her arms, legs, stomach, and finally─_

_She stopped completely. There was a large, black scar where her chest was expanding and deflating with each frantic breath she took. Touching it sensitively, she couldn't be entirely sure what it meant._

_"You shouldn't touch that, it may still be sensitive."_

_The girl yanked her hand away and shrieked, backing up towards the wall. That's when she saw that she was on a bed inside a cabin. The walls were a smooth oak, and the bed she was sure had about a thousand blankets on it._

_"Who are you? Where am I? What did you do to me?" The girl asked rapid fire questions without taking a break, and she was soon out of breath. She was amazed again at the fact that she was able to talk without croaking horribly._

_"Calm down," the man said. His skin was an ashen gray, and he was in a gray robe of sorts. His black hair was smoothed back to expose his forehead, creased in concentration. Then there were his eyes: a bright, knowledgeable yellow that made her question his motives._

_"What do you remember, child? Do you have a name?"_

_The girl was about to speak, but she stopped herself. Searching her brain furiously, she found she could not answer his questions. She had no idea who she was. Even a name was hard to extract, let alone what had happened to her. She didn't remember anything before waking up under the burned logs._

_"I don't know," she finally succumbed._

_"In that case," he began quietly. "I'll call you 'Cinder.'"_

_"Cinder..." she played with the word a few times. It sounded right. Almost anything would have, at this point._

_"Yes," the man soothed, "there you go."_

_Cinder looked at the man with expectant eyes._

_"Ah, yes," the man was reminded. "My apologies, I am Pitch."_

_"Pitch," Cinder repeated._

_"Is repeating words all you can do?" Pitch asked._

_In a quick flare of anger, she glared at him. But then she realized just how heated her body was. It was as if he had sealed the fire inside of her, and she was nothing but a walking furnace. Her limbs were infused with hot blood that pulsed loudly inside her head._

_"What's happening to me?"_

_"Hmm, looks like I couldn't make it think, what a shame." The man turned around and tapped his forehead dramatically. Cinder got the feeling he was just playing with her._

_"Tell me," Cinder growled, "now." Her anger flared again and she looked down at her hands that gripped the blankets tightly. In shock, she saw that the blankets were burned where she had gripped them. She gasped and wrapped her arms around her knees in defense._

_Pitch looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I see you've found an answer."_

_"I'm a monster," she whispered faintly._

_"A monster?!" the man boomed back at her, making her cower. "No," his voice calmed down strangely, "you are not a monster. I gave you another chance to be free. If that sounds monstrous, then perhaps─"_

_"Wait, 'another chance'?" Cinder interrupted, "Did I die?"_

_Pitch grinned devilishly. "Precisely, young child."_

_"And... you saved me?" Cinder let go of her legs and stared at her hands. She didn't feel like she died, at least not at the present moment. She didn't look like she died either. The intense heat she felt inside her almost felt normal now, like it had always been a part of her._

_"Yes, and I gave you those powers. Why don't you try them out?"_

_Cinder looked at him quizzically. When he waved her toward him, she carefully stood up from the bed. Her feet also felt on fire, and the ground she stepped on became scorched. She quickly retracted her foot and stared in horror at Pitch._

_"It's okay," Pitch explained, "you'll get used to it. Come now."_

_Cinder tried again, holding her breath. To her surprise, the earth did not burn again when she put her foot down. She took another wobbly step, and another, and finally she was walking again. She grinned in satisfaction and looked up excitedly at the man who revived her._

_"Thank you, Pitch," she whispered gratefully as she threw her arms around him, trying not to let the heat escape her. _

_Pitch stood stock still, unsure about the situation. "Of course," he cleared his throat, "there's the matter of the contract."_

_She backed away from him, puzzled. "Contract?"_

_"Well, I revived you, didn't I?" Pitch asked incredulously._

_"Yeah, I guess," Cinder thought her way through what he was saying._

_"Then let's make a deal." Pitch reached out his hand. After a few moments of hesitation, she took it._

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><p>Cinder was standing against the side of the bus station, wincing at the thoughts consuming her mind. Pitch offered Cinder an offer she couldn't refuse. Without a past, she didn't see another way to make a step in the world. If she became his agent, as he called it, he would grant her immortality. <em>We'll keep each other alive, Cinder.<em> His words rang in her mind over and was dubious at first, but after the first ten years of not aging, she began to believe him. Besides, he taught her how to make it in this world; how to control her powers of heat and fire. For that, she should have been eternally grateful. But now, after three hundred years, she just wanted to move on and live out the rest of forever in isolation. That was never going to happen, however, because people were always going to be able to see her.

That was the major difference between Pitch and herself. Everyone, from the old to the young, could see Cinder, but they could not see Pitch. When she discovered this, she realized just how unusual she was. She could never be alone again.

Sighing heavily, Cinder pushed herself off the wall, picked up her backpack, and headed down the street.

People turned to her almost immediately. Rude stares were caught by mothers who then, in turn, stared at her as well. Shifting her backpack uncomfortably, she kept her eyes looking straight ahead. She realized everyone was looking at her, and her panic started to rise again.

"Hey, miss! Wait up!" Cinder heard a voice behind her, getting closer. She slowed down and waited for the man's next words.

"You'll freeze to death if you walk outside in this much further," the man turned to face her. He was middle-aged and had dark brown hair peeking out of a cap. He wore a jacket that was large and thick. That's when it hit her.

She was not dressed for January.

Looking down, she sighed as she realized she was wearing a tank top and dark jeans. In hindsight, she probably should have bought a jacket before coming here. Not that it mattered. The cold was not something that occurred to her.

"I'll be fine, really," she tried to reason with the man, repeated her words.

"Impossible," the man explained. "It is fifteen degrees out. You'll die of hypothermia before you go much further."

Cinder knew that the man was over exaggerating, but she still didn't like the stares she was getting from everyone.

"Here's some money," he took her hand and put a twenty dollar bill in it. Thankfully, he was wearing gloves and couldn't sense the overwhelming heat that escaped from her palm. "There's a shop just around the corner. Please, take it."

Cinder bit her lip. She was running out of money. She could just take this and go on with her life. Then she reminded herself of the looks she was getting, and realized that she probably shouldn't stick out so easily.

"Thank you, sir," Cinder smiled warmly. "I'll get to that."

"Take care, miss," the man waved as he walked back the other way.

Sighing, she went to where the man had mentioned and bought a cheap, but warm-looking, sweater. Before leaving, she looked at herself one more time in the mirror. But she wasn't looking at the sweater. She concentrated on her eyes. They were not yellow. They were not changing. She sighed with relief and walked away, the green haze of her irises swirled around in content.

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><p><strong>AN: Hopefully this clues you in on some of the story behind Cinder. But it's more complicated than it seems ;) Please review and have a good day!**


	5. Tooth for a Tooth

**A/N: Hello everyone! I've decided to upload this chapter a little sooner, but don't worry! The next chapter will still be updated sometime on Friday. This one's fairly short, anyway. Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong> - _Tooth for a Tooth_

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><p>Meanwhile, Jack was back at the North Pole, searching for North. The fact that the big guy was easy to miss in a place like this puzzled Jack extremely. After he crawled through the window, he floated above the globe momentarily. When North didn't answer his call, he glided down to the floor and put his hands in his front pocket. His staff was stationed between his arm and his side and tapped on the floor with every other step.<p>

Walking through the wide doorway, Jack entered the open area of North's workshop where he could see all the way down the various levels. The yetis were already hard at work for next Christmas, 11 months away. Jack smirked and shook his head; this man was always busy. No wonder he claimed that he didn't have time for the children. Admittedly, he was impressed. Jack felt there was no way he could do all of this work himself.

"Hey, North!" Jack shouted to the void. The yetis all stopped and stared at him. Jack backed away uneasily, apologizing. He hadn't backed up two steps before he felt something furry behind him. When he turned around with surprise, he found that it was just Phil. The yeti grumbled in a strange language that only North understood and pointed down one of the many corridors.

"Uh, thanks Phil," Jack nodded and took off in the direction of North's private workshop.

Stopping at the door, Jack hesitated. He came here to ask North about what happened to him, but that was the problem. Jack didn't know what happened to him. Some of the images he had recognized only because it involved his sister and mother. The other people in the images, however, he didn't understand. It made him realize that the only people he remembered, from the times when he was human, were his family. He didn't even know what his father looked like, or how he talked, or where he had been. He doubted the man that he saw during the episode was his father. That man was terrifying beyond all definition.

Swallowing the uneasiness he felt, he knocked urgently. "North?"

Jack heard a surprised thud and then a few more, slowly getting louder. Then the door opened and Jack was staring up at a grumpy Santa Claus. He groaned inwardly, hoping North wasn't too angry.

North blinked in surprise. "Jack? What are you doing here? Don't you know Christmas is soon?"

"You've got another year, North," Jack pointed out.

"Bah," North waved him off, "never you mind that now. Come in, Jack. Come in!" North stepped out of the doorway and allowed Jack access into the small room with large outer windows. Jack took a deep breath and walked over to the window, staring out over the vast, empty, permanent winter land. Normally, it made him feel more at home, but now that the snow couldn't give him answers, he felt out of place. He'd never felt more confused. Even when he first woke up at the pond he hadn't been this perplexed, and it worried him slightly.

"What is it, boy?" North interrupted his thoughts. "Must be important, yes? How did village go?"

"That's actually what I'm here to talk about," Jack started, unsure where to go from there.

"And?" North sat down at his stool, looking at Jack expectantly.

"It's not Pitch," Jack stopped himself. He wasn't even sure about that statement. Searching the room, he hoped his mind could find the right words. "I don't know what it is."

"Oh?" North had gotten back to his work, little by little. He didn't seem to care now that he found out Pitch wasn't actually there.

"Or who, I guess..." Jack's voice wandered off.

"What?" North's voice rose suddenly, making Jack jump slightly, his staff falling to the floor with a clatter. Picking it up, Jack continued.

"There was someone floating above the village, and they just watched as this building burned, and they shot fire at me, and─"

"Jack, Jack, slow down!" North clamped his giant hands around Jack's shoulders. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Jack shrugged off North's grasp, "that someone set fire to that building. And if I hadn't shown up, the whole village would have caught fire, too."

"Jack," North said softly, "what did they look like?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again to gather his thoughts. His eyes darted around, trying to go over what happened. In all honesty, he hadn't really seen the figure all that well.

"He had a hood on," Jack explained at last, giving the figure an attachable pronoun, "so I couldn't see him, really. But he had bright yellow eyes that glowed and he nearly killed a child!" Although always cold, Jack swore he felt heated with anger at that moment.

North turned away from Jack and looked at his tools sternly. "This is not good, Jack."

"And... there's something else," Jack ventured carefully.

"Hmm?" North muttered absently.

"When I tried to follow him," Jack paused, biting his lip, "these images and weird─ _memories_─ just appeared out of nowhere. I fell to the ground because they were just so overwhelming."

North was taken aback, furrowing his brows and frowning greatly. "I do not know what to say, Jack."

Then Jack thought of something.

"Do you think those memories were mine?"

North pondered the idea and leaned back. Finally, he threw up his hands and slapped his knees. "Why not? Did they not feel like they were yours?"

"I─ I don't know," Jack turned away. "I mean, I would have remembered those when I got my memories back, right?"

North shrugged. "I do not know, Jack." He stood up and put his arm around Jack's shoulders. "Perhaps you should ask Tooth. She knows more about teeth than I do," he tried laughing to lighten the mood, but Jack wasn't sharing the jolly feelings of which North had plenty.

"I guess I will," Jack resolved. Before he ran out the door, he turned on his toes and said to North, "Do you think we need to assemble the others again?"

"Eh, who knows? Manny has not talked in four years!" North shooed Jack. "Now, Christmas needs me! Go, Jack!"

Without another word, Jack pushed off and flew to his favorite entrance. Opening the window brought in a freezing cold draft that lifted Jack's spirits enough to spread the ghost of a smile across his face. The cold was his only reverie when he had been alone for those first three hundred years. Now, it looked like it was going to become his closest friend once again. Renewed with energy, he took off for the Tooth Palace.

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><p>Peering into the Tooth Palace, Jack looked around for the brightly-colored winged fairy. Hopefully she wasn't too busy. Jack could hardly imagine Tooth being too busy for him. She always seemed to make time for him to stop by whenever he asked.<p>

Dropping down onto one of Tooth's many platforms, he saw tooth cases being plucked out and opened to make way for newly lost teeth and put back in place neatly by her many little fairies. Baby Tooth chirped brightly as she saw him, and hovered at his cheek, fluttering happily.

"Hey, Baby Tooth," Jack tried to smile. "Do you know where Tooth is?"

Baby Tooth squeaked and pointed upward to a platform where Jack now heard the hum of someone talking a thousand miles a minute. Smirking, he thanked Baby Tooth and vaulted himself up to the aforementioned platform.

Tooth was hovering in the middle, her back turned to Jack. She was chirping away orders to her fairies and became extraordinarily excited when one brought back a rather large and bloody molar. Tooth was always a little scary when it came to teeth like that. Jack leaned on his staff and watched her work momentarily. The way that she fluttered about haphazardly but functioned like clockwork was intriguing. He cleared his throat after standing there for over a minute, waiting for her oblivious self to turn around.

Tooth's face lit up like a Christmas tree, her purple eyes sparkling brighter than the whitest teeth she had ever received. She always looked like that whenever Jack came around. "Jack! Oh, it's so good to see you! I didn't think you'd stop by so soon! How are you? I'm sure my fairies can handle things for a few minutes. Right, girls?"

Her fairies all chirped and flew around more hectically, making Tooth laugh heartily. Jack's heart lifted, seeing Tooth so happy, but his smile couldn't match. Something still bothered him deeply, and even Tooth's hugs wouldn't cheer him up this time. He visited her the most out of all the Guardians. Jack was immensely grateful for Tooth telling him that he did in fact have a past. Pitch was the one who gave him his tooth case, but Jack never stopped thanking Tooth for keeping his teeth safe. Usually, as Jack found out, Tooth took the teeth of the deceased and released them indefinitely. Since Jack became a spirit, Tooth had the instinct not to get rid of his teeth. But now, those teeth were probably causing more problems than solving, all things considered.

"Tooth, I─"

"Oh, Jack, where are my manners?" Tooth fussed, flattening her feathers in embarrassment. "I've just had so much work, lately. I really wonder why..." She looked at him, realizing she was rambling again. "Hi," she stuttered.

Jack couldn't help but smile. Tooth was usually better about this, but she was completely unashamed of showing whatever feelings she had for Jack after Pitch was gone for good. It was sort of cute.

"Hey," Jack answered, "I don't mean to be rude, but this is sort of urgent."

Tooth's expression changed completely. She flew around him and put her hands on his shoulders. Jack rolled his eyes. What was with all of the Guardians acting like he was a child? _Well, I mean, technically I am, _he admitted in thought only.

"What happened? Are you upset about North sending you on that job?"

Jack sighed, looking away. Sure, that part was annoying, too, but there was a different pressing matter. He relayed every detail about the event to her, which was more than he did for North. It wasn't that he didn't trust North, but Tooth was much easier to talk to, even when she was playing the Mother figure. He talked about the child in the burning building, about how unnaturally hot the fire had been, about the figure in the sky, about the fireball he nearly gotten hit by, and lastly, about the memory attack. He even told her every detail he could about the memories he saw before he felt sick from reliving it. Tooth listened patiently, with varying expressions forming on her face as he went from one small detail to the next with increasing emotion. Just as Jack finished, she looked up at him suddenly and flew off.

Jack looked over the edge where she flew, but Tooth was nowhere to be found. Knowing she would reappear soon, he sat on the edge with his feet dangling freely below. The Tooth Palace was always so lively and colorful that it was impossible not to be happy. Whether or not that statement was true now, Jack couldn't tell. He was preoccupied with thoughts and feelings that didn't seem like his own. He swore he would find the guy responsible for the fire, responsible for the scaring the poor little girl. Even though it wasn't Pitch, Jack knew he hated this guy much, much more. That's when Jack remembered that there was black sand on North's globe. Surely that was Pitch's work? Frustrated, he let out a long, slow breath through his mouth that he didn't know he had been holding.

Tooth popped up in front of him suddenly, holding his tooth case. Jack looked at her quizzically.

"Look back in here, Jack," she urged him, putting the case in his hands. "Maybe you missed something." She flew up behind him. "I'll be right here," she assured him.

Nodding, Jack touched the top of the case lightly, waiting for the lights to shine and for his present self to fall out of consciousness like the first time. After a few long seconds, nothing happened. Staring in confusion, he tried again. The same thing happened again.

"It's," Jack was baffled, "it's not working."

Tooth flew in front of him again and took the case, opening the lid and peering inside. Using her finger, she pointed to each tooth in turn, named which one it was and counted at the same time in rapid haste. Stopping mid-word, she froze in disbelief.

"Tooth?" Jack tried to peer closer.

Tooth suddenly put the tooth case aside and stuck her fingers inside Jack's mouth. "Sorry, Jack," she muttered when she was done looking at his teeth. "I was just making sure. You have all your teeth, so that's good."

Jack's brows furrowed. "What about the case?"

"Oh, this?" Tooth picked it up and pointed to it, laughing nervously. "Oh, nothing's wrong with it. They're all there!" But instead of showing him, Tooth snapped the case shut and flew off to go put it back where it belonged. Unconvinced, Jack stood up and leaned on his staff.

"I don't know what's going on, Jack," Tooth continued soothingly, sitting next to him. "I wish I could help," she consoled him.

Jack peered at her with the slightest of doubts. "It's fine, I just..." Jack paused, looking at his pale hand. "I just wish I knew what they were."

"You'll figure it out, Jack, I know you will." Tooth smiled at him with sad eyes. Jack knew just how much she hated letting him down. But she had to know it wasn't her fault.

"Really, Tooth, it's okay. It was probably just a weird coincidence or something."

Tooth wasn't convinced. "Well, come back when you do figure it out. I'll do what I can."

Jack smiled and put his hand on his shoulder, over Tooth's own hand. He knew her heart would flutter from the cool touch because she was becoming too predictable. He hoped it would make her feel better about not being able to help. "Will do, Tooth. I better go, I have a job to do," he paused looking at her fairies flying around everywhere. "And so do you," he added.

Tooth realized what he said and immediately went back to work. "Sorry, Jack!" She yelled in between orders. "Come back soon!"

Taking that as his cue, Jack nodded to her and flew off out of the palace. He needed to blow off some snow, anyway. He turned himself toward Burgess, called to the wind, and took off without looking back.

At the Tooth Palace, Tooth turned to see that Jack had already left. Sighing, she ran through the orders mindlessly. She was still thinking about Jack's teeth.

There was one tooth missing from the case. But Jack didn't have that tooth still in his mouth. It meant she made a mistake, somewhere. It was impossible, but she was still upset by the fact that it happened. As soon as she had some time to slow down, she'd search for the tooth herself.

Jack's sanity depended on it.


	6. History Repeats

**Chapter 6** - _History Repeats_

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><p>Cinder stopped in front of the house and stared at the latch to the gate, filled with apprehension. This was going to be her job and her home for a little while, even if it wasn't ideal. She would still have to deal with people, she realized. Despite being around them for hundreds of years, it didn't get any easier to keep meeting new ones. Mentally steeling herself, she knew she couldn't get involved. Not again.<p>

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><p><em>The first few years after Pitch saved her were spent almost normally. When he left the cabin, which had happened more often after Cinder had learned to control herself, she frequently visited the forest and its rivers and streams, taking solace in the rushing sounds of the water. The forest had always been a safe haven for her after the incident. The leaves above her filtered the sunlight with a pale green haze once spring had taken its step through the world, and the smell of new flowers filled her nostrils. She hadn't felt this alive... well, ever.<em>

_Stumbling upon a town, Cinder realized that she had no idea how to interact with actual people, since Pitch said that he was not a typical person by any definition, nor had she ever seen anyone else. Remembering Pitch's training, she held herself high and suppressed the raging heat that soared throughout her body. She was focusing so hard on pretending to be normal that she had bumped into another person. Both of them fell backwards after having bumped heads unexpectedly._

_"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to," Cinder instantly apologized, "I didn't see you, I mean─"_

_But in response, all she heard was a girl's laughter. "No, no. Really, it's okay. I was daydreaming again and I just didn't look─"_

_The girl stared at Cinder in confusion._

_"That's some red hair you have. Are you new here?"_

_Cinder opened her mouth then closed it when she realized the truth was probably a bad idea. "Yeah," she began, unsure of herself, "I live a few miles that way." Cinder pointed to the woods behind her._

_"Really? Hmm, I didn't know there was anything out that way," the girl remarked. "I'm Sarah, by the way," the girl shot out her hand eagerly._

_Not understanding the finer points of human interaction, Cinder grabbed Sarah's hand and studied it. "What do I do with your hand?"_

_Sarah made a weird face and began laughing. "Yeah, you're new, alright. Here," she repositioned her hand so that it fit next to Cinder's, with their thumbs overlapping, "you do this. Then you shake it."_

_Cinder made a drawn-out "oh" and nodded. In actuality, she thought it was the strangest custom, but it felt strangely familiar. Similar to a hug, she supposed, but probably less direct. She'd have to inquire about the details at some point._

_"You can let go now," Sarah said, wincing. "You're hand is really warm, are you sick?"_

_"Hmm?" Cinder looked down, noticing that she was still holding Sarah's hand and that her own hand was noticeably warmer than hers. "Oh, I'm sorry... again."_

_"You're a strange one," Sarah eyed her up and down, judging, "but I like you. Come on, let me show you around."_

_After that, Cinder came back day after day, as often as she could when Pitch wasn't around, and played games with Sarah and met others like her. Sarah's "family," as she called it, had several other members, two of which were called a "mother" and a "father." The other two members were her "brother" and "sister," named John and Rebecca. Cinder tried to remember the technicalities, and it took a while before they stuck. She was amazed that they all looked so different from her. She couldn't place it at first, but after asking Sarah about it, Sarah told her it was because they were "older" or "younger" in age. That was a new concept to her, and she decided to ask Pitch about it the next time that she saw him._

_"Pitch?" Cinder was sitting on the makeshift countertop in the cabin, swinging her legs nonchalantly._

_"Hmm?" Pitch was hunched over something at a nearby desk. "What is it, Cinder?"_

_"How old am I?"_

_Pitch seemed startled by the question, because he looked up at her immediately. "Why are you asking me your age?"_

_"Because I don't know what age I am," Cinder furrowed her brows._

_"Where did you learn what age was?" He stood up and walked towards her._

_"I saw people in a nearby village. They were tall and short, and some looked different than others. I didn't know what to call it," she lied feebly, "but 'old' seemed to be the right word. So I figured I'd ask you."_

_Pitch sighed heavily and put his hand to his head. He looked as if he was choosing his words carefully. "Age is something that escapes you and me, Cinder."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"You'll find out for yourself," was all he could offer in answer. "Now I've work to be done. I'll be back in a few days. And stay away from those townspeople," he warned._

Make me, _Cinder mentally stuck out her tongue. Instead, she frowned nodded silently. "Take care," she added as he disappeared into the shadows._

_This altercation, however, did not stop her from becoming closer to the townspeople. She even spent the night at Sarah's house a few times. That was when she learned about food. When "dinner" was called, all of the kids were really excited, so she went along with it. Weird, hot mush and mash was settled on a flat circle in front of her and every other person. She stared at it quizzically while the others looked at her expectantly. Biting her lip, she picked up a pronged stick that lay beside the circle and stabbed the stuff on the right. It was soft, and the pronged stick went right through it. The entire family had laughed at her. _That's not how you eat mashed potatoes,_ they had said in between fits of tearful laughter. Ashamed and red in the face, she forgot about the heat in her body and accidentally blackened the pronged stick. Later, she learned that it was called a "fork" and the circle was a "plate." After watching the others and learning to do it properly, she took her first bite. It was amazing! How come Pitch and she never ate dinner? As it turned out, there were other times to eat, too. Three times in the day, in fact, were "meals" as Sarah described it._

_Despite her queer nature, the family fell in love with Cinder. She in turn loved playing with Rebecca, the youngest of the children in the family. The little blond girl always had a smile and a laugh peeking through her eyes, and she was fascinated by Cinder. The first time they met, Rebecca pulled Cinder's hair, asking if it was real. Incredulous and almost hurt, Cinder exclaimed that of course it was her real hair. Rebecca nodded a childish nod, the kind of nod that says they heard you but don't believe you. Cinder caught on to that quickly, and began to mock Rebecca, who mocked her back until they fell into giggle fits. _

_One day, the father came up to Cinder._

_"It seems you spend all your time here with us. You said you lived out a few miles in the woods, did you?"_

_Cinder nodded, wondering if she was in trouble or something. The father did not normally talk to her._

_"And your folks don't seem to feed you much, either," the man surmised._

_Cinder shook her head, afraid to speak the truth._

_"Ah, well," he clapped his hands together in finality, "how would you like to live with us? We've got the room. I'm sure Sarah or Rebecca would be glad to let you bunk permanently."_

_Cinder's heart flipped, hitting every bone in her rib cage with excitement. She could be a part of a family. The naive redhead agreed and ran back to the cabin to gather anything she wanted to keep._

_"What are you doing?" Pitch demanded when he saw her frantically searching drawers and tossing random articles onto the bed._

_"I'm part of a family, Pitch! They asked if I would want to, and I said yes! And, oh Pitch! They're so nice, I wish they could see you, maybe then they would─"_

_"You're what?" Pitch asked, raising his voice._

_That's when Cinder noticed the change in atmosphere. "What's wrong, Pitch? I can still do jobs for you when I'm ready, like you said. They don't have to know about my powers."_

_Pitch's yellow eyes flared. "Cinder, this won't be possible for you."_

_Cinder's countenance fell. "What? Why?"_

_"Remember how I said that age doesn't affect us?"_

_Cinder nodded slowly, tears forming in her eyes._

_"You cannot grow old, Cinder," Pitch explained in a low voice. "You'll never have wrinkles. You'll never get taller. You'll never grow at all!"_

_Cinder's tears pooled at the inner corners of her eyes despite her best efforts to hide them. "They won't care! They want me there!"_

_"But they will never love you."_

_"What do you even know about love?"_

_"Cinder..." Pitch growled in warning, but she didn't want to listen._

_"No! I'm done, Pitch. You've kept me cooped up in this cabin forever without being able to do anything, and I am bored to death!"_

_"Choose your words carefully, Cinder." Pitch's voice did not change._

_"Forget it! They wouldn't be able to see you anyway. Maybe if I spend enough time with them I'll forget about you, too!"_

_Pitch snapped. "You can _never be one of them!" _He took her shoulders and shook her. "They will cast you out, forsake you, _burn _you!"_

_"Choose your words carefully," Cinder repeated with a sneer._

_"Why, you..." Pitch's grip tightened._

_Then Pitch's power hit her. The fear she felt in that moment was nearly as intense as when she saw him the first time, before she awoke in the cabin. Her heart raced and the tears flowed freely down her cheeks before she knew what to do. Her weak knees gave out beneath her and she vaguely felt herself fall to the floor. A dark haze filled the room and Cinder began to cough and gag, crying harder. Agonizingly slow, she began to gather her thoughts and ran awkwardly out of the cabin with her cloak clutched in her hand._

_"... and don't say I didn't warn you!"_

_But for almost ten years, Cinder hadn't thought about him in the slightest. She settled well into her new family, and they cherished her greatly. But as time went on, things changed. Sarah's brother John moved out of the house and built a new one, with a new girl that they said he "married." The others were sad to see him go, but they visited often. The parents became old and needed more help around the house. Rebecca grew taller until she was the same height as Cinder. Sarah had even mentioned getting married, herself. Cinder was petrified and didn't understand what to do. Everything was changing around her, why? Why?_

_Eventually, the townspeople caught on that something strange was going on with the Walker's recent addition, Cinder. She didn't look a day older than when she stepped foot into the village, but all of them had changed. Not to mention that the girl almost never wore warm clothing when it was winter. _

_Cinder was having another panic attack in her bedroom that she had once shared with Rebecca and Sarah, which now Sarah had left. Cinder's hands were clutched to her head tightly, woven through her red hair in distress. Rebecca ran in and grabbed her hands, yanking them away from her face._

_"Cinder, what's wrong?" Rebecca's matured voice clattered inside Cinder's skull._

_"Get away," Cinder whimpered quietly._

_"What?"_

_"I said get away!" Cinder yelled, pushing Rebecca away. "Go. Grow up and get married and leave me here!" _

_Rebecca stifled a laugh because of the circumstances. "I'm not getting married, Cinder. I'm only thirteen," she placated slowly._

_"But at least you're growing," Cinder spat venomously. "I can't ever do that."_

_"Because you're done growing, silly," Rebecca sat down beside her._

_"No, I can't grow. That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Cinder finally let it out. She let out everything she knew about herself, with Rebecca listening incredulously. At the end of her tale, Rebecca stood up, holding out her hand._

_"We should get you some help," Rebecca put her hand to Cinder's forehead, "I think you're running a high fever," she added as she shook her hand, clearly burned._

_Cinder stared at her in shock. "No, no, no! I'm fine, I told you everything! It's all true!"_

_"Oh, stop, Cinder," Rebecca shook her head, smiling. "Come on, let's at least get you out of the room, it's too dark in here."_

_"No!" Cinder lit her palm with a fire she hadn't used in years. "See? It's not dark, I don't need to leave! Please, just let me stay!"_

_Rebecca shrieked and fell backwards, eyes widened in fear. "What is─ Get away! Get away from me!" She pleaded as she scrambled backwards, clumsily tripping over furniture. "Witch!" she screamed as she ran out of the house._

_Cinder ran after her until she got to the doorway. What have I done? Tears were about to fall down her cheeks when they evaporated almost instantly. Mystified, she looked around and saw that her fireball had caught the corner of a blanket on fire, and it was quickly spreading its unnaturally intense heat._

_"Witch!"_

_"She-devil!"_

_"Look what the witch did!"_

_The rest of her time in the village passed before her eyes like a horrible nightmare. They tied back her hands with rough twine and took her to the center of the village after the fire had been taken care of. Her family stood before her, eyes ablaze with disbelief._

_"How could you? After all we've done for you! All these years..." the old mother sobbed._

_"Cinder..." Sarah's voice fell to the ground, unable to utter a single sound._

_Many hurtful comments were tossed over Cinder's head as she awaited her fate. Her tears soaked her face and her hair stuck to it and she could do nothing to move it out of the way. Not that she cared. She was being disgraced and disowned from every corner of her consciousness and her chest heaved in a fight to keep her aware of her surroundings. It didn't do much good, however, because she was only vaguely aware that she was suddenly being dragged, her face against the dirt. Small pebbles and beads of sand stuck to her face where her tears continued to fall, and some of the larger rocks cut into her face, spindling blood into the mix._

_"Drown her!" were the only words she could make out in her present state of mind. Numbed by physical and emotional abandonment, she was dimly aware that her feet, her knees, her waist, were all getting wetter by the instant. When the water crept up to her neck, her eyes widened when she realized it._

Pitch was right...

_After her head passed under the water, Cinder clamped her mouth shut and tried to swim across with her hands tied. She didn't want it to end like this. It was harder than it looked, but she managed to bring her head up after a few seconds. She had made it surprisingly far, thanks to the current, but staying afloat wasn't enough. Struggling against the twine that held her hands, she desperately tried to warm them. The water made it difficult, but eventually the water around her became a boiling cauldron and the twine weakened. Snapping her hands free, she flailed and kicked until she could grab onto a rock and pull herself to shore. _

_After a few days of crying, panicking, more crying, and lashing out violently against many of the trees surrounding her, she made it back to the cabin. Not that family's cabin she thought was her home, but the cabin that Pitch had taken her to, the cabin in which Pitch had nursed her back to health. _

_And she had turned her back on him. And what did she get in return? People who turned their back on her, which now did not sadden her, but infuriate her beyond belief. She swore to herself that she would never be close with another human again._

_Heating herself up enough to dry her clothes, she searched the drawers for something else to wear. She was still wearing the clothing Sarah had made for her recently and it made her seethe every time she looked down. Thankfully, she found a separate set of clothing that she never took with her and put it on lazily, knowing it would still fit, even after ten years._

_"I'll admit that took longer than I expected." An achingly familiar voice made its presence known to her._

_Letting out a large wail without any tears─ for she had used them all─ she ran to Pitch and wrapped her arms around him for the second time in her short, antagonizing life._

_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." her voiced trails in fits of ugly noises she didn't know she could make. When Cinder composed herself again, she cleared her throat and looked up at Pitch._

_"Fear is powerful, isn't it..." his voice trailed off with the hint of a smile on his lips. "Are you ready for your first job?"_

_Any regret, sadness, or anger that had consumed her in the past few days dissipated and was replaced by a fierce ambition. When Pitch offered his hand, she took it without hesitation._

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><p>Presently, the entirety of the memory had only spanned the few seconds it took for Cinder to unlatch the gate and walk up to the front door of her new job.<p>

_Compose yourself, Cinder. That was the past. It's not of any use to you now. It'll only give you more panic attacks, and you're weird enough as it is!_

Knocking without a trace of the anxiety she felt earlier, she stood straight and checked her hair in the glass window in the door. Her ring caught a glint of sunlight off the reflection and she blinked in response. Before she could finish pushing down the last flyaway hair, the door opened. A relatively young woman, possibly in her late thirties, answered the door, her glasses low on her nose.

Pushing up her glasses, she spoke. "Hello?"

"Hi," Cinder's voice was as cheerful as she could muster, "I'm Cinder. The sitter?"

The woman laughed sweetly. "Oh, right. I'm Mrs. Bennett," she introduced herself as she held out her hand. Cinder took it carefully and shook it. "Please, come in, come in!" She waved Cinder into the house. "Are you warm enough? That sweater doesn't look like it's doing a very good job."

Cinder smirked. She sort of figured she wouldn't pick the right sort of clothing for the weather. It didn't matter to her, but clearly it mattered to others. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Well, I guess I'll show you the house, then."

Cinder's mind wandered off as she looked around the home close at Mrs. Bennett's heels. The pictures on the walls throughout the hallway depicted who she assumed were Mrs. Bennett's nephew and niece, or old pictures of her kids, maybe. As Mrs. Bennett spoke on and on, Cinder caught the piece where she was shown her room, the guest room, at the end.

"... and that should be all. Did you have any questions?" Mrs. Bennett implored her, snapping Cinder back to attention.

Cinder was about to answer when something clung to her pant leg. Looking down, she was beyond shock to find that a little blond girl was lazily hugging her.

"Mommy, you're really warm..." the girl blinked and rubbed her eyes, clearly just waking up.

_Rebecca?_

"That's because you're not hugging mommy, sweetie." Mrs. Bennett explained in a similar voice.

The little girl opened her eyes and blinked slowly, looking up at two faces. Cinder was even more astonished to find that the girl had light green eyes like her. She realized that Rebecca's eyes had been brown and sighed with relief.

"Oh," the little girl backed away sheepishly. "I'm sorry... uh..."

"This is Cinder, Sophie. Remember when I told you about my trip I'm taking next week?" Mrs. Bennett asked the little girl named Sophie.

Cinder snapped her head to stare at Mrs. Bennett, incredulous. _This is a babysitting job?_ Thankfully, her face deadpanned before the mother looked back at her again.

"That's Sophie, my youngest, who's six. There's also my son, Jamie, but he's with friends today. He should be home tonight. Oh, where are my manners? I'm sorry. I've got a trip that the company I work for wants to take us on. It shouldn't be more than a week, really, and you can always call me or one of the neighbors if something goes wrong. I've told you everything, right?"

Cinder was hardly listening. She was mortified. She was supposed to take care of not one, but _two_, kids for an entire _week?_ This was not what she thought she was getting into. But Mrs. Bennett's face pleaded sadly in a subtle way that Cinder picked up on. She was about to politely decline when Sophie piped up, tugging on Cinder's sleeve.

"Will she play tea parties with me?" Her excited voice reminded Cinder of Rebecca again and fear gripped her throat.

"Well, that's up to her," Mrs. Bennett laughed lightly, "so you'll have to ask her, dear."

Sophie frowned as she ran behind her mother's legs, suddenly shy.

"Now, now, Sophie," Mrs. Bennett picked up her daughter and plopped her in front of Cinder. "You need to get to know her, first. She won't be that bad." She started walking away and Cinder spun her head between Sophie and Mrs. Bennett, doing a double-take.

_Shows what you know,_ Cinder narrowed her eyes.

"W-wait! Are you really sure you want a stranger watching your kids? I mean, really, I could be anyone! Some random drunkard!" Cinder half-heartedly joked.

Mrs. Bennett's laugh ended in a heavy sigh. "I've tried reaching all of their other babysitters, and they're all so busy! I really needed someone," she paused as she tapped her fingers on the kitchen counter, "and Jamie just isn't old enough."

Cinder bit her lip and cursed herself silently; she was going to hate herself for this.

"Then you've found someone," she acquiesced.

"Oh, thank you so much!" A tension visibly left Mrs. Bennett's shoulders. "I'll leave $150 for you, I'm sorry it isn't much, but it's really the best I can do until I get back. Then I can pay you the full amount."

Cinder was confused about one detail, however. "Wasn't this a semi-permanent _house-sitting_ position?"

Mrs. Bennett nodded her head ruefully. "It would be if I had the money to pay someone full time. Think of this coming week as a... separate trial run," she tried to justify it. It didn't help Cinder's understanding, but at least she tried.

Then the phone rang. Mrs. Bennett excused herself to answer it. Her countenance fell as she frantically searched for and grabbed a pencil and paper, scrawling quickly. "Mhm... okay... no, no, I don't think that's an issue... Yes... Okay. Sure, I'll head out as soon as I can."

Cinder's heart fell approximately one hundred feet, she was pretty sure.

"Looks like they've moved up the trip's departure for weather concerns," she informed Cinder, worried. "Do you think you could just... start now?" Mrs. Bennett bit her lip. "I can take you to your place and help you grab some of your things─"

"Oh, no, you don't need to do that. I've pretty much got everything I need in my bag."

Mrs. Bennett frowned at the worn leather backpack slouching against the wall by the door. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, really!" Cinder tried to assure Mrs. Bennett.

"Can we go play, now?" Sophie tugged at Cinder's sleeve and stared with big, round, pouting eyes. Before she could answer, she was dragged into the living room by the six-year-old. Before they disappeared into the other room, Cinder caught Mrs. Bennett covering her laugher with her hand. Cinder rolled her eyes. _Guess I just have to go along with it... Ugh._

A "tea party," as it turned out, did not have real tea involved. Much to Cinder's chagrin, it didn't involve much of anything real. _You learn something new everyday... apparently._

Nevertheless, when Sophie handed Cinder the empty plastic pink cup, she pretended to drink from it. Some sort of moral code inside her told her it would be rude and insulting if she didn't play along.

They played at this for a few hours, which astonished Cinder. There was a small break in between, however, when Mrs. Bennett came in to say a long goodbye.

"I don't want you to go!" Sophie insisted stubbornly.

"Sweetie, you have to be a big girl now," Mrs. Bennett placated softly. "Mommy wants you to make friends with Cinder and play nice with her and Jamie when he comes back, okay? School begins the next day, you know."

"I know, I know," Sophie pouted as she sat back down by Cinder. "I'll be good."

"Goodbye, sweetie! Tell Jamie I'm sorry I couldn't stay and to take care!" Mrs. Bennett's voice slowly faded and stopped as the front door closed. "I love you!"

An awkward silence ensued, where Cinder and Sophie would look around the room, at each other separately, around the room again, and occasionally lock eyes.

Cinder took a huge breath and puffed her cheeks, about to say something, when Sophie reached up with her two pointer fingers and popped Cinder's cheeks, releasing the air in a loud _pop_ which sent Sophie into huge giggle fits. Cinder couldn't help letting a smile escape her lips. _Where did she learn that?_ Realizing what she was doing, she deadpanned again and stared at Sophie.

Sophie was still giggling when she sat herself up again and looked at Cinder. "What are you staring at me for? Didn't your mommy tell you that it's rude to stare at people?"

Smirking, Cinder closed the distance between their faces instantly. "Nope," she popped the _p_, "And what are you going to do about it?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Tickle fight!" Sophie yelled suddenly, tackling the unsuspecting Cinder to the ground and running her fingers sporadically over the sides of Cinder's ribs.

Cinder hadn't been tickled in a long time, and she thought that the panic would rise up again. But instead, she was laughing uncontrollably. For a six-year-old, she knew how to tickle. Scrambling out from under Sophie, Cinder retaliated by pinning her to the ground and repeated the same procedure. Sophie was again in an uncontrollable giggle fit. After they had their fill, they returned to Sophie's tea party.

After a little while, Cinder looked up and was shocked to see that the world outside had grown darker. Looking at the clock, she swore silently.

"Hey," she beckoned to Sophie across the table, "wasn't your brother supposed to come home before it got dark?"

Sophie gasped as she realized it, too. "Brother's in _trouble_," she laughed evilly. Maybe Cinder liked this girl after all.

"Where is he? You can show me where to go and we can go pick him up ourselves," Cinder suggested. Despite not being directly in touch with humans all that much, she knew that she couldn't just leave a six-year-old child home alone.

"Okay!" Sophie chimed and pulled Cinder's sleeve toward the door.


	7. Unexpected Sights

**A/N: So I thought you guys would like to know that I'll be updating twice a week now because (a) I feel once a week is too slow for this type of story and (b) I think more interest will catch on if it's seen as fairly active. Hopefully even a review will come out of this change? I guess I'll see, but it'd be lovely of you to let me know how I'm doing. ^_^**

**Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong> - _Unexpected Sights_

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><p>Tooth hadn't helped Jack at all with his dilemma, but at least she had been more worried than North. Jack had been frustrated about the entire village ordeal and the other Guardians weren't much help. To take his mind off of things, he decided to visit Jamie again. Whether or not he would tell Jamie what was going on was another story: one he wasn't sure about anymore.<p>

Whatever happened to him, whatever had flashed through his head was overbearingly familiar. But Jack knew he had never seen anything like it. It was impossible for a cloak to float in the air, let alone over a pond on fire. That part he didn't want to understand. But what tugged at his heart more was the sinister man with the yellow eyes on his shoulder behind Jack. Jack knew that man, he was sure. But at the same time, no memory of that man existed.

That's why he had gone to Tooth; he wanted to find answers (after dealing with a barely-helpful North). He thought maybe there were more memories that weren't salient at the time he needed them. Tooth had been willing enough to let him try to look, but when he actually wanted to look in the case, Tooth had snatched it away from him. Jack knew she would never hide anything from him, but her behavior wasn't saying the same.

Nothing added up. Why weren't the Guardians more worried about the fire guy? Why has the Man in the Moon not said anything? _Then again, he was silent to me for three hundred years. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't hear from him for three hundred more._ Jack frowned.

But he couldn't let that get to him. Right now, all he wanted was a friend. And some fun.

_Yeah, fun sounds about right_, he smirked.

Flying down toward the pond, he saw that the kids were already there. They were separated into two small huddles, about to start another hockey game. He snuck up to the group with Jamie and the twins whispering closely about how to crush the other team. Jack casually leaned in with his arms around their backs.

"Any room for me on the team?" he asked smoothly.

"Jack!" Jamie exclaimed above a whisper. Then he looked toward the other team to make sure they hadn't heard or looked over. "Just in time, you'll be our secret weapon," he smiled mischievously.

Jack nodded and listened to their plan. He was to stay up in a nearby tree and wait until one of the others passed the puck that way. When they did, the opposite team was supposed to be confused as to why they were sending the puck to an empty part of the pond. That was when Jack was going to pop out and score a goal on the unsuspecting Cupcake, whom they were pretty sure was going to be the team's goalie. On break, Jack flew up high and landed on a tree branch overlooking the other team's half of the pond. He aimed his staff downward, acting like it was a hockey stick.

But when the other team broke, something changed. Cupcake walked up to the halfway point and stood defensively, with Monty a little ways behind. He still looked fairly fragile, but from what Jack had been told, Monty had become really good with the puck. At the goal, which was separated by two rocks on the ice, stood Pippa, as smug as could be.

Jack narrowed his eyes and glanced over at Jamie, who was staring at Pippa in disbelief. He looked over at Jack and smiled, nodding. _We've got this_, his look seemed to say.

_I'm sure you do,_ Jack smirked and shook his head. Knowing Jamie, Jack figured he was going to try to take on Pippa by himself to show off. Jack laughed and watched to see what would happen.

One of the twins walked over with the puck, holding it above the space between Jamie and Cupcake. When he dropped it, the game began fiercely. Cupcake had taken the puck and was already toward the goal where the other twin shook fearfully. Cupcake shot the puck with amazing speed and the puck flew past the goalie and into the snow bank behind him. Laughing fiendishly, Pippa pointed and fell backwards. Jamie spun toward her with a mean look and swore under his breath. Jack was itching to plop down in the middle and take the puck away himself, but Jamie was still counting on him.

Once the puck was retrieved, Jamie and Cupcake stood at the center again. Jamie looked a little more fearful, but just as determined. Jack leaned forward excitedly, waiting for his chance.

By some miracle, Jamie was able to take the puck away from Cupcake and shoot down the other half of the pond. He passed it to one twin, who tried to circle around Monty. However, Monty was able to capture the puck and make his way to the other goal. He was about to pass it to Cupcake when Jamie shot out in front of her and stole the puck away again. Pippa steeled herself in front of the goal and stared at Jamie, intent on stopping the puck.

But instead, Jamie shot the puck upward into a nearby tree. Pippa knitted her brows in confusion and watched as the puck was about to disappear. She began to laugh and yell to Jamie that he was a bad shot and couldn't aim, when the puck flew past her into the goal. Gasping with surprise, she stared back at where Jamie had shot the puck. Incredulous, her jaw dropped as she saw Jack Frost floating with a devilish grin painted on his face.

"Jamie Bennett, no fair!" Pippa shouted indignantly. "You had an extra person on your team!"

"He's a spirit, so technically he doesn't count!" Jamie shouted back matter-of-factly.

"Hey!" Jack flew down and knocked Jamie's head with his staff.

"Sorry, Jack," Jamie laughed as he held his head from the sudden hit.

"He does too count, and you cheated," Pippa crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on. I'll switch this time," Jack put his arm around Pippa and gave her an apologetic look. Jamie knew Jack hadn't meant anything by it, but a spark of jealousy flickered in the back of his mind.

Pippa agreed and they went back to playing, with Jack openly on the other team. He gripped his staff upside down, with the curled part acting as the bottom of the hockey stick. When he didn't have the puck, however, he was using his magic to make the ice more slippery in certain places, causing the other players to lose control.

"Hey, you're cheating!" Jamie copied Pippa's voice while laughing.

"I don't count, remember?" Jack copied Jamie in a joking voice. He laughed back and deftly tossed a snowball at Jamie, knocking him over and sending the puck toward Jack. He stopped the puck and leaned on his staff, looking triumphant.

"That didn't stop you before, did it?" Jamie asked as Jack ran over the ice with the puck past him.

"And it won't now!" Jack tapped his staff back and forth, controlling the puck with ease past the other players. Stopping just before the goal, the goalie became focused. Instead of sending the puck through the goal, he passed it to the left, where previously no one had been. Pippa skated by and shot the puck through the goal with the goalie turned toward Jack still.

They played for a few more goals until it began to grow dark. Hardly anyone had noticed until they saw that the sun was almost entirely disguised by the clouds and mountains in the distance. Saying their goodbyes and groaning about school starting up soon, they left slowly. Pippa had stayed behind, talking with the others about the assignment that was due soon.

"Have you done the writing assignment yet, Jamie?" Pippa asked.

"There was an assignment?" Jamie's eyes widened as he remembered.

"I guess that answers your question," Jack remarked with a laugh.

Pippa sighed and shook her head. "Really, Jamie? Are you going to want any help with it?"

"No, I think I can get it done by tomorrow," Jamie declined.

Pippa frowned and Jack noticed she looked a little dejected.

"Alright, well, you can call me if you need help." Pippa paused, waiting for Jamie's response.

"I don't need help. I can totally do it on my own." Jamie sounded offended. "I'm not that dumb."

"I didn't say you were dumb," Pippa replied with another frown, but still she waited.

"Well, uh," Jamie stuttered, feeling awkward, "I guess you should get going."

"W-What are you going to do?" Pippa asked, eager to stay a little longer.

"I'm gonna stay with Jack for a little bit," Jamie answered.

Jack noticed that Pippa still looked sad, but she smiled anyway.

"Okay, see you at school with that assignment done, Jamie!"

"You know it. Bye!" Jamie waved as Pippa began walking up the hill.

After Pippa was out of sight, Jamie turned to Jack. "Why is she always so angry at me? I was just trying to have fun, she didn't have to go and frown the entire time."

"Well, you might have been a little rude," Jack suggested.

"How?" Jamie looked confused.

"You did call her a cheater," Jack started, "and you've said no to her twice now."

"What?" Jamie looked to where Pippa had disappeared. "But she didn't ask me out, did she?"

Jack laughed at Jamie's cluelessness. "She was inviting herself to help you out with your homework."

"That's not very romantic," Jamie commented.

Jack used his staff to create a heap of snow above Jamie's head and let it all fall on him. He laughed again as Jamie stuck his head back out and yelled indignantly.

"Come on, I think it's time you went home, too," Jack said after the laughter died.

"Wait," Jamie took Jack's sleeve, "what happened at the Pole the other night, Jack? What were the lights about?"

Jack stopped in his tracks and inhaled sharply. What was he going to tell Jamie? Turning around, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, just North thinking there was something wrong. It was nothing really, I just forgot to bring snow to one area and the other Guardians were flipping out on me."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "The Northern Lights just for a little irresponsibility? Do they really know you, Jack?" He laughed at the absurdity.

Jack laughed back nervously. He had been thinking the same thing recently, but didn't want to admit it. He hoped it was just them trying to get used to there being a new Guardian around. "Come on, I'll walk with you."

They had walked up the hill exchanging ideas for pranks. Jack was about to promise that he'd come back soon to practice some of the more tricky ideas when they reached the top of the hill and onto the side of the road.

Jack halted. "Who's that with Sophie?"

Sophie jumped excitedly on the other side of the road and pointed to Jamie, then turned to the girl holding her hand. The girl nodded and looked over. Green eyes peered straight through him, but he was used to not being seen. Something about her look was different, however. She was still looking right in his direction, like she sensed something. Her red hair fell in her eyes and she blinked. Her face changed then, her features widening in consternation for the briefest moment. As soon as Jack noticed it, her countenance deadpanned. She looked to both sides of the street and began to be dragged by Sophie across, closing the distance between them and Jack and Jamie.

"I have no idea, maybe a babysitter?" Jamie shrugged.

"Hey, brother!" Sophie let go of the girl's hand and jumped up and down. "Where've you been? You're in trouble with Cinder!"

"Cinder?"

"You must be Jamie," the girl spoke up. Her red hair was illuminated by the sunset off to the west. Her sweater she was wearing looked ill-fit for the weather, especially now that it was getting colder with the sun almost gone. "I'm Cinder. It's nice to meet you."

"I thought Mom wasn't leaving for another week!"

"She told me to give you her regards, it got moved up and she had to leave," Cinder explained factually.

Jack leaned on his staff and said to Jamie, "Gee, I thought she'd be older. But I guess now we don't have to go easy on her."

"Excuse me? And you are?" Cinder looked to Jack with an astonished look.

Time stopped and Jack's jaw fell. _She can see me?_

"Are you one of Jamie's older friends?" Cinder asked again, insistent. She raised an eyebrow at him expectantly.

Before Jack could answer, Jamie stammered incredulously. "You can see Jack?"

"Finally someone gave me a name! And yes I can," Cinder answered. "Hello, Jack."

"Uh..." Jack was still staring at this girl in front of him. She must be his age, she was almost his height. There's no way someone her age could believe in Jack Frost, was there? "Hi..."

He looked down and saw that she had held out her hand toward him. She didn't look like she wanted to shake hands, though. Jack hesitated before holding out his hand. There was an intense heat in the moment, but Jack didn't think anything of it.

Before his hand came into contact with Cinder's, Jamie spoke up, breaking the gesture away.

"How are you able to see Jack?"

Cinder looked at Jamie in confusion. "Well, it's not because he's right in front of me," she said sarcastically.

"But older people aren't able to see Jack Frost! Why can you?"

"Jack Frost?" Cinder repeated skeptically. "You're joking. You're thirteen, right? I don't think fairy tales are a thing at that point."

"Hey!" Jack frowned, hurt.

"I'm fourteen, thank you," Jamie corrected her, "and I'm telling the truth! This is Jack Frost."

"I can show you," Jack added, holding out his staff to show her.

"Nice walking stick," she commented, ignoring his offer. "Come on, Jamie. I came because I was worried that you hadn't gotten home yet. I can't get in trouble with your mom just yet."

"Wait, just let him show you. Please," Jamie pleaded. Jack tapped Jamie on his back with his staff and winked. _Don't worry about it, I have an idea_, he thought.

"Let's get going, I'll make whatever you want for dinner," Cinder turned back toward the road. "Nice to meet you, _Jack_," she added at last, emphasizing his name.

"Ditto," Jack waved as he walked back down to the pond before flying away. He landed on the small cliff that jutted out over the far side of the pond and sat in deep thought.

_She can see me, she can see me, she can see me!_ His thoughts raced with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. Someone his age could see him for once in three hundred years. Of course, kids seeing him were one thing. That was his center and purpose. He held that prized and above all. It filled him with the sense that everything was okay, and that becoming a Guardian was the right thing to do. _She can see me!_ But someone who was his age that could see him─ and possibly believed─ that was different. It was new and frightening, but intriguing and curiosity filled him with a sort of elation and he wanted to know more. _She can see me!_ It also gave him a reason to forget about recent events, and for that he was glad. Whatever the black sand on the globe meant, it could wait. _She can see me!_

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><p>Later that night, he came back to Burgess after his regular rounds of snowstorms across wherever he fancied. Calling to the wind, Jack was lowered down to the roof of Jamie's house. He'd been here many times before, a long time ago. After Pitch had been defeated, he saw Jamie a few times until he was called off to begin his duties. He hated leaving again, but he promised Jamie he would be back. Jack never imagined he would have returned four long years later. He would have returned sooner, and it hurt him that he couldn't have done so. Before doing what he set out to do in the first place, he walked over to Jamie's window and knocked, waiting patiently.<p>

Jamie woke up with a start and Jack laughed at his stunned face. Jamie ran over and opened the window with ease.

"What the hell, Jack? I've got school tomorrow, you know that."

"Aw, Jamie," Jack pleaded playfully, "I just wanted to say hi, is that too much?"

Jamie laughed and motioned Jack inside, but Jack held up his hand. He still had other plans. He tilted his head toward the guest room's window and smirked impishly.

"Really, Jack? Now? It's late. I thought you meant we'd start tomorrow night."

"Suit yourself. You don't have to do anything. I'm just curious. We'll have to be sneakier now we know she can see me."

"What are you planning on doing? Watching her sleep? That's creepy, Jack." Jamie laughed at Jack's incredulous look. Recovering from Jamie's comment, Jack shot ice into Jamie's room and ice covered the floor instantaneously.

Jamie sighed. "I guess I deserved that. Oh well, at least it'll be a great ice show in the morning."

"I'll make sure to get tickets," Jack assured him with a bow. "And my work is done," he said as he fell backwards off the roof. However, he knew Jamie knew he wouldn't fall, and popped back up, only his head being visible from the window. "You go to sleep, alright?"

"Let me see if I can make it to my bed without falling, and I'll try." Jamie tried to skate over to his bed, wavering unsteadily.

Jack made sure Jamie made it without hurting himself and waved as he walked over to the other side of the roof. Standing over the window's roof, he looked over. To his surprise, the window was wide open and the curtains were flapping in the wind. He hopped down onto the window sill and peeked in between the curtains. He furrowed his brows when he saw Sophie sleeping on the far side of a bed that was pushed up against the window. However, what caught his attention more was the fact that the blankets were tossed, revealing the empty second half of the bed. Confused, he walked around to the other windows to make sure he hadn't just gone to Sophie's room instead. But he found all the other rooms to be empty. He walked back to the sill and stepped inside on the bed, next to Sophie.

_Where is this girl? She left the kids alone! I know I'm irresponsible, but seriously? _Looking around, he found clothes discarded in the corner by the closet. They looked to be Cinder's, but Jack knew better than to go through people's clothing... mostly. The room was noticeably warmer despite the window being wide open and it was hot enough that Jack was a little bothered by it. He turned to go back out the window and watch over the house until whenever this girl came back and saw lights shining outside. Frowning he ran and perched himself on the sill once more, peering into the night sky.

The Northern Lights were flaring, showering intense light all over the town. Again.

_This better be important._

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><p>"Are you serious, North?" Jack threw his arms wide in annoyance. There was another town he "didn't send snow to" and North said it was worse this time.<p>

However, all of the Guardians were gathered at the North Pole. Jack knew that more sand must have been found on the globe, enough to make them worried. _About time_.

"What's wrong, Frost?" Bunny snickered. "You mad that North's catchin' you bein' a bludger?"

"I─ what?"

"Jack, are you slacking off on your work?" Tooth asked with concern laced in her words.

"No, far from it. I've been busy since I went to the village with the house on fire─"

"Fire?" Bunny interrupted. "That place was on fire? All because you didn't make it snow?" Now he was being a jerk.

"No!" Jack was furious. "The fire melted my snow," he began to explain what happened, leaving out the attack that happened at the end. Tooth gave him a sad look, and he knew she didn't approve of him not telling the others. They deserved to know, but Jack wouldn't tell Bunny if he was the last living thing on Earth.

"I called you here because fire is back," North put his hand on Jack's shoulder apologetically. "And fire is bad. Bunny, you go with Jack."

Bunny dropped his boomerang he had been tossing. "What? Are you kidding me, North? I don't think it's a very good idea havin' us workin' together."

"Do not care," North waved him off, "we must find source of black sand. Bring back fire maker if you can."

"I'll do that and Frosty here can take out the fire," Bunny replied.

"Scared of a little campfire, are you, Kangaroo?"

"Now, see? There he goes again. I told you, I'm a rabbit, mate," Bunny's voice deepened in warning.

"Sure," Jack took the portal globe out of North's hands and whispered the name of the town. "Come on, we don't have time to argue."

Realizing the frozen idiot was right, Bunny nodded and hopped through the portal after Jack. They appeared on the ground so that Bunny wouldn't fall from the air, and the snow was practically slush. Bunny frowned as the wet stuff coated his feet and clumped his fur.

The bright orange light shone intensely over the ridge in front of them. Bunny clambered up the slippery slope cautiously while Jack easily flew up to the top, smirking at Bunny's apparent distress. He turned to look over the situation just as Bunny got to the top and stared at the village below. Both of their jaws dropped when they saw that the fire had already engulfed half the town.

"North wasn't kidding," Jack murmured in frightened awe.

"So," Bunny started suddenly, "you handle the fire and I'll handle that fire demon?"

Jack shook his head. "My ice can't melt this fire. It's too hot."

"Even for you, mate?"

Jack nodded in defeat. "Best we can do is save whoever we can, and get out of here."

"What about the thing that did this?"

Jack frowned, remembering what happened to him last time. "Whoever finds it: good luck to them," he said as he flew down and ran through the town while Bunny stared after him quizzically. He didn't know what Jack meant, but they didn't have time to bicker. Children were in those fires.

After an hour of constant stress and excessive heat, the two Guardians believed that they had gotten out every kid that they could. The adults caught in the fires were harder to free, but they were able to get them out through indirect means. They tore down walls where they were weak, they led the children in between the flames to grab their parents, and they tossed blankets on the flames to stop the flames momentarily. Intermittently, Jack kept trying his magic, and none of it was working still. He met Bunny in the middle of the town and they ran through the list of houses they had been through.

Before finishing the list, they heard a scream.

"We missed one!" Bunny was already off, focusing on where the sound came from.

"You get the kid, I have an idea!" Jack yelled. He kicked off the ground and flew above the city. Summoning all the power he could muster, He gathered as much snow above the town as he could. He was high enough that it wasn't melting, but the mental capacity needed was putting a lot of physical strain on him, weakening his arms with each new snowflake he formed in the air.

Then he saw something coming for him: another fireball. Releasing his power, the snow fell heavily toward the town. The closer it got however, the more it began to melt and turn into rain. That was his plan, but he hadn't been sure it would work. Thankfully, the snow he created turned into rain and began to dissipate the fires below.

Jack would celebrate later, though, because he had to dodge the incoming attack. He ducked just in time, the fireball blazing just above his head. Jack swore if any hairs were singed, he'd be upset because then Bunny would have new material with which to taunt him. But when he looked back to where the attack had come from, there was nothing there. He looked around in confusion. _Not again_.

"You again," a deep, multifaceted voice growled behind him. Heat was escaping from their words and giving Jack goose bumps.

He whirled around and stared, the cloaked figure floated at the same height, only ten feet away. His stomach fell as he was reminded of the floating cloak from the strange attack of memories. Here that cloak was, except there was someone underneath it. Cautiously, he held his staff in front of him.

"You did this," Jack could hardly contain the venom in his own voice.

"Do you like it?" The voice laughed.

"You could have killed people!"

There was a slight pause. "Fear is powerful, isn't it?"

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. No one could be this heartless except Pitch. Maybe even then, Jack didn't know if Pitch would ever kill someone. _Fear..._

"You work with Pitch. You're giving him fear!"

"Congratulations," the figure clapped slowly, bare hands visible. Jack thought he saw a blue tint flicker from the person's left hand. He made a note of it for later. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" The figure asked as it flew closer to Jack, a terrible heat leaking from the figure with every inch of distance that closed between them. "This could be fun... Later, ice boy," he heard it whisper before it flew away.

He lashed around and caught the corner of the cloak. It wasn't enough to stop the figure, but Jack was given a quick look. The hood almost fell backward off the figure's head, but he─ she─ it? ─ gasped and gripped it tightly, pulling it away from Jack's fingers. He could have sworn he saw a piece of red hair fly out, but it may have just been illumination from the remainder of the fires below. Still, he had something.

Maybe now the Guardians would believe him.


	8. A Day's Work

**Chapter 8**- _A Day's Work_

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><p>Cinder woke up in the middle of the night to feel something pushing up against her. Annoyed, she tried to roll over. Something pushed back when she tried to move. Blinking her eyes open, she saw a mass of pale hair illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the slips in the curtains. She propped herself on her hands quickly and glared.<p>

Then she remembered. Sophie had walked in who knows how long ago, asking Cinder if she could sleep in her room.

"Cinder?"

Cinder had sleepily moaned in answer.

"I had a bad dream... can I sleep in here?"

Cinder felt like if her eyes had been open at the time she would have rolled them and waved the little girl away. But not thinking clearly, she only rolled toward the window and fell back asleep. Sophie must have taken that as a yes and climbed in. Now Cinder realized that Sophie had cradled herself into Cinder's side, and was now sighing with warmth.

Not wanting to wake Sophie, Cinder crawled her way off the end of the bed. She tiptoed to Sophie's side and was about to pick her up when an abrupt pain shattered her mind. Cinder groaned and covered her mouth in surprise, hoping that Sophie wouldn't wake. _Now is not the time, damn it!_ Her brain pounded against her skull frantically and she stumbled backwards. Tripping on the carpet, she fell backwards and hit her back against the corner of the closet. She let out a yelp of pain and immediately clamped her hands to her mouth, anxiously watching Sophie. Sophie momentarily muttered something incoherent and turned away in her sleep.

Cinder would have sighed in relief if the panic hadn't taken its place. The room grew darker and her chest began to heave and heave and it showed no signs of stopping. Scrambling to stand, she gave up and tried to crawl back to the bed. Even if the attack couldn't be subdued by sleep, she hoped feeling the comfort might alleviate the panic naturally. Before she reached the bed, she passed by the mirror and something caught her attention. She turned and stared, hoping that she would only see herself.

Unfortunately, that didn't help. Cinder stared at her reflection and felt the bile rise up in her throat. Her eyes were changing fitfully between green and yellow, and it strained her vision to the point that everything else was blurry. The sounds of the night, while ordinarily trite, echoed through her ears and rattled her consciousness. Her nightclothes suddenly felt constricting, and she tried to take them off, but to no avail. Her fingers grabbed at the fabric but couldn't she couldn't get a definite hold. They just stopped working. Eventually, she sat up and clutched at her scar, which burned intensely. Her eyes began to water and after her final attempt to breathe she dropped the rest of her body to the floor and waited.

"Get up, Cinder," a familiar voice spoke when everything was quiet.

Without facing the mirror, Cinder sat on her feet with her hands on her knees. Taking a long-awaited deep breath, she looked up and saw that her eyes were glowing a vibrant yellow.

But behind these monstrous eyes, a man in black looked at her skeptically. "Where are you?"

"I took a job," Cinder's voice stayed level, "I needed a new place. People were getting suspicious. They're paying me to live in the house."

The man laughed. "Promoted to housemaid, I see."

Cinder sneered almost imperceptibly. "It pays, and I get a place to live. As long as I don't get caught, I don't care."

The man shrugged. "I need you to work again."

Cinder groaned loudly in disbelief, forgetting that Sophie was sleeping in her bed. "Are you kidding me? Wasn't the other job enough? You sure gave me one hell of a headache just barely."

"It was enough to restore proper communication. But I am far from being able to escape."

"Escape?" Cinder repeated. "They imprisoned you?" This was the first time Cinder had been given a clue about what happened four years ago. The sudden lack of communication between herself and the Boogeyman had been strange, but she had just assumed that it was because her contract was null and void. To abruptly find out that he had been imprisoned gave her a startling shock, to say the least.

"Yes, but not for much longer, if you do as I say," the man smiled.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "Stop the theatrics. What do you want, Pitch?

"You've been awfully rude and... _arrogant_ lately. You really should change that or you'll never make friends," Pitch laughed at his own awful advice.

Cinder clenched her fist and barely stopped herself from burning a hole through the carpet beneath her. "I said. What. Do. You. Want?"

Pitch's face darkened in the mirror. "I'll show you."

After Pitch relayed the instructions, Cinder stood up shakily and went to the closet. Whatever clothing she kept in her leather bag had been transferred to the closet while the kids were getting ready for bed. Quietly opening the door, she undressed and put on more appropriate clothing. Pants, boots, and a t-shirt later, she looked back at the mirror. Pitch had already dissipated, and she only saw herself again with yellow eyes instead of green ones. Without looking in more detail, she donned her cloak from all those years ago and threw the hood over her head, hiding her features from her hair down to her knees.

Stopping in front of the bed, she looked down at the sleeping Sophie. She'd have to move the little girl when she got back. As she stepped onto the sill and opened the window, she vowed to be back before sunlight.

_Here goes another sleepless night, _she thought before taking off into the air.

Despite working for Pitch, she loved the freedom she felt when she flew. It wasn't often that she could, since people could see her and all, but as soon as the sun went down she took to the air with an excitement that exceeded anything else that she had ever felt. The wind whipped at her face and threw her hair every which way when she didn't have her hood on and she felt the sharp sensation nip at her fingers, arms, nose, and virtually every pore on her skin. It made her feel clean and alive and she would do this forever if she could. Even when she didn't have jobs, she would take the entire night to simply fly and freefall and fly again to catch herself and do all kinds of tricks. Tonight, however, she had a job to do.

And then in the morning, she'd have to bring two children to school.

Not entirely happy with the scenario, she shrugged to herself and called to the wind, sending her body at impossible speed toward her destination.

This time she had to burn the entire village. At first, she was uncomfortable about the instructions. Then Pitch heckled her for it and she snapped out of it. If she did her best for him and got him out of his imprisonment, perhaps he would finally let her go. He would let her live her unfortunate immortal life to never be alone, and to always be alone. When everyone could see her, no one could see her.

Just like last time, she had been disclosed not to show her face. This time, however, she agreed easily. Because who knew if that white-haired idiot would show up again?

_Jack Frost_, she stopped and turned the name over in her mind. Had he really been another person with powers? Remembering the other village and then earlier that day, she knew that he was unmistakably the same person. When she had seen him across the road, standing next to Jamie, she had frozen in shock. The white hair and blue sweatshirt had stood out and she could feel the acute sensation coming off of his being. She knew he was cold, without ever feeling the cold before. She understood the sharp feeling was supposed to be the cold, but it never seemed that way to her. Being so close to him, however, made her reconsider a lot of things, including taking the job. If he was Jamie's friend _and_ the boy who tried to destroy her job the other night (_and_ the boy who helped imprison Pitch), she was screwed, to put it nicely. When he made the comment about playing pranks on her, she was horrendously offended, but she tried not to let it show. But when she asked him herself, everyone had just stared at her. Apparently if you were old enough, you weren't supposed to see Jack Frost.

But Cinder could.

Was it because she also had powers? She had seen his powers that night, which was why she didn't bother to have Jack showcase himself when they confronted each other. She knew exactly what he could do.

But he couldn't stop her flames, and that was what made her smirk. She had the upper hand on Jack Frost, the spirit of winter. He knew nothing about her. That's why she was going to shake his hand. She knew she could have melted his hand then and there. It was a bold move, but it would have given him the sign to back off. But Jamie had interfered, so she decided to leave it at that.

Inhaling the brisk air, she readied her hands and set ablaze everything she could to her heart's content. The opal in her ring flickered brilliantly against the fire, and didn't melt around her finger from the intense heat. The crackling of the wood filled her senses, telling her she had the power to do something,, to make something happen by willing it. The smell of the smoke reminded her of campfires that she made a long time ago. But it also reminded her of how she awoke. Shrugging the feeling off, she remembered fire could not hurt her again. She flew through the streets before people flooded them and shot fire through windows and doors, each fireball hitting its mark and erupting in bright oranges and yellows.

Flying up into the air again, she breathed in the clean air once more. The smoke had gotten to be too much even for her, which meant half the job was over. She still had to watch over the fire. This part was never in the job descriptions, but she did it anyway. It held mixed feelings for her. At first, it was calming to watch the flames lick away at the oxygen in the air. But eventually memories would flood back and she would remember the Walkers and she would nearly bring herself to tears. But always, always, she stopped herself by shooting another fireball downward in frustration.

Then she saw something fluffy skip through the alleyways in the town. Furrowing her brows she floated down to see what it was. To her complete surprise, she blinked profusely to try and get it straight. She was looking at _a giant rabbit-kangaroo-thing_ through one of the windows and he─ it─ was staring back at her, something cradled in his─ paws? Realizing she was found out, she took off to the air again when she saw the thick white cloud above her. It was snow and it wasn't melting. It must be too high up, she figured. Frowning, she zoomed to the outskirts of the town and floated, facing the obnoxious job-ruining idiot. Warming her hand immediately, she swore she wasn't going to miss.

But she did, and the snow was released and it fell toward the village, turning into rain almost instantaneously when it got within range of the blaze. Although Cinder was impressed with herself, she realized the rain was able to squelch her fires. Angry, she flew under and behind while he recovered from her fireball. Watching him look around so furiously was almost funny, but then she realized she had to be serious before the giant furry thing found her again.

"You again," she growled, masking her voice.

The boy whipped around and Cinder nearly heaved. It was the exact same boy she had met, and he was furious. She knew he was the same to begin with, but now she was sure. His blue eyes were alight with an intensity that rivaled her flames. It was almost like he was a different person. It was a shame. They could have made friends... but maybe that wasn't meant to be.

"You did this," he spat out maliciously.

Cinder grinned underneath her hood. "Do you like it?" She couldn't stop herself form laughing at Jack's face. He looked so disgusted and the face really didn't suit him.

"You could have killed people!"

She remembered Pitch's words to her after she escaped being drowned in a witch trial, and repeated them: "Fear is powerful, isn't it?"

But then Jack's face changed and Cinder wished she hadn't said anything. He stared at her hard and answered her thoughts. "You work with Pitch. You're giving him fear!"

Cinder was scared, but she had to act quickly. She clapped her hands slowly as they peeked out from underneath her cloak. "Congratulations. You're a smart one, aren't you?" She then began to fly closer to him. As she closed the distance, however, she noticed the sharp, brisk, wintry feeling became more prominent and thick. It made her sick, but she wasn't sure why. Knowing she had to scare him, she whispered in an act of bravery: "This could be fun. Later, ice boy."

Cinder tried to fly off, but something tugged slightly at her cloak. She realized in panic that he had tried to grab her. Turning toward him, she tugged back and flew off, holding on tightly to her hood for fear that it might fly off. Mentally cursing herself, she allowed herself to quit her job for the night and fly back to Burgess.

When Cinder got back to the house, she realized with additional fear that she had left the window wide open. Hopefully Sophie hadn't frozen to death. Cinder would be furious with herself. She may not have wanted to be around humans as closely as she was, but she wasn't about to wish death on any of them (a little ironic considering the consequences of her jobs, but she was unaware of that at the time).

Except maybe the white-haired frost-boy, but perhaps she was judging too quickly.

Cinder climbed back in the window to see that Sophie was still in her bed, and she had stolen all of the blankets. Smirking, Cinder skipped over the bed and undressed for the second time that night. Looking at the clock as she pulled on her shirt for the day, she saw it was almost 5:00am. Groaning, Cinder realized that she wasn't getting much more sleep. Nevertheless, she crawled back into bed and turned toward the window. Reaching her hand up, she gripped the window and shut it, already falling asleep.

The alarm clock rang too soon, and Cinder's eyes were bloodshot. She looked down and saw that Sophie was still sound asleep. _I wish I was that heavy a sleeper, _she thought bitterly as she turned off the alarm, hauled herself out of bed, and dragged her feet down the stairs into the kitchen.

Yawning and stretching her arms wide, she moaned and blinked again. Grabbing a skillet from a lower cabinet and eggs from the fridge, she tried to start the stove. It was a gas stove, but it wasn't catching fire. Frowning, she simply snapped her fingers and the stove came to life.

"What was that?" a voice asked, clanging loudly in Cinder's head. She turned and saw that Jamie was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, still dressed in his pajama pants.

"Well, good morning, early bird," Cinder tried to sound cheerful, but lack of sleep did not aid her and it came out with a sarcastic tone.

"Did you just light the stove with your fingers?"

The boy had seen her. Thinking quickly she flicked a lighter out from inside her sleeve. She kept one on her in case of events like this. "You didn't see this?" She reasoned, pretending to be confused.

Jamie simply narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Cinder started cracking the eggs and pouring their contents into the skillet.

"Is Sophie up yet?" Jamie asked as Cinder cracked the last egg.

"Probably not," Cinder sighed.

"I'll go get her," Jamie volunteered and walked out of the kitchen.

"Wait!" Cinder didn't want Jamie finding Sophie in Cinder's bed; that would potentially send a thousand wrong messages. "I'll go get her," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder and pushed ahead of him, "watch the eggs!"

As Cinder sprinted up the stairs, she nearly bumped into a tired Sophie that was still in pajamas. "Hey there, Sophie. Why don't you get dressed?" She suggested as she pushed the kid toward her room.

"You don't need to tell me, I'm not three," she muttered, yawning.

"No, you're just six and still have nightmares."

"Don't tell Jamie!"

"If you hurry up and get downstairs for breakfast, I'll think about not telling him after school."

That did the trick. Sophie gasped and ran to her room and shut the door. Smiling to herself, Cinder paraded down the stairs. Kids were easy.

After they were all downstairs, Cinder served their breakfast of eggs and toast and sat down herself. They ate in uncomfortable silence, each for their own reasons.

"Hey, Cinder," Sophie spoke suddenly.

"Hmm?" Cinder said through a mouthful of food.

"Do you believe in Jack Frost?"

Cinder gulped down her food prematurely. She knew he existed, now, but did she believe in him? What did that even mean? "No, he's just a tale parents tell kids in order to get them to wear hats and mittens."

"Mom says the same thing," Sophie looked dejected. Cinder was momentarily worried that she had done something wrong.

"He's real, you know. You saw him," Jamie stared at Cinder. "So you must believe in him in some way."

"Ah, I guess so," Cinder chewed absently, hoping Jamie took the bait.

He didn't. "What if I got Jack to come by after school today? We could prove it to you and you'd believe us."

Cinder put down her fork and swallowed the last of her food. "I'll take you up on that bet, you know. Loser makes dinner."

"But I can't cook!"

"Then you better not be lying," Cinder shrugged and held up her hands. "Come on, isn't there a bus coming soon?"

"I thought you were taking us? Besides, the bus comes by at six-thirty. It's seven-thirty," Jamie clarified. "Do you have a car somewhere?"

"A car?" Cinder laughed.

"Yeah, you know, to take us to school?"

_Damn bus. _Cinder hadn't thought about that. She had never driven much before. When she had tried, she nearly killed anyone in her way. She decided then to just fake the license in case she desperately needed it. But now she realized cars were sort of necessities since most people couldn't simply fly...

"You'll walk," Cinder answered, pulling on her shoes and grabbing her sweater.

"Are you serious?"

"Do you want to get Jack to fly you guys to school?" Cinder asked sarcastically.

"That'd be preferable," Jamie muttered under his breath.

"Can you walk with us, Cinder?" Sophie asked innocently.

Cinder caught her breath for a second. "Alright, let's go," Cinder waved the kids toward the door. "Does everyone have what they need?"

"Yes," the kids both answered.

"Good, let's go now."

Jamie walked ahead of Cinder and Sophie, hands in his pockets. Cinder watched as he hunched his shoulders to shield himself from the cold. Cinder smirked, knowing that she couldn't feel the cold and was glad about it. Then she looked down at a shivering Sophie who had inched closer to Cinder's side. Sighing, she released some of her heat and Sophie smiled with content. They walked in silence for about fifteen minutes and stopped in front of the school.

The school was considered an elementary school, but it combined grades K-8, so both Sophie and Jamie went inside. Sophie stopped before she went through the doorway and waved energetically to Cinder. Uneasily, she waved back before turning away and leaving.

But she didn't go back home. Cinder needed to clear her mind, and that house was too confining. Instead, she made for the pond where she picked up Jamie the other night and slid her way down to the frozen pond. Breathing deeply, she jumped and landed on the rock jutting out of the pond. There she sat and contemplated the night before.

Jack's furious words flew into her consciousness again, and she leaned backward and lay across the rock. He seemed so serious then. But when she met him and Jamie, he looked so innocent, even a bit impish. If he would stop ruining her jobs, Cinder thought they could potentially be friends. Then she laughed at her own thought.

_I don't need friends. I haven't ever needed them. Friends don't mean anything._

But she was started to doubt the philosophy she used her entire life.

* * *

><p>When it came time for the kids to return home from school, Cinder made her way back to the house. If Jamie brought Jack back with him... she was still unsure about what it was she wanted to do about it. She settled to deal with it as it came, but even that idea seemed horrible.<p>

Nonetheless, Cinder got back to the house and plopped down on the couch. She looked at the bookshelf in the corner and decided she'd look them over whenever she got bored. They were probably better than nothing. A few hours and several books sprawled all over the living room later, Cinder was proven wrong. Her imagination was more active than those books. The books were also about gardening and very thick, clichéd romances that honestly left _nothing_ to the imagination ─ something Cinder was more than glad she hadn't experienced.

"We're home," Jamie's voice rang throughout the house as the front door opened. Something in his voice made Cinder stand up.

"Hmm, I don't see Jack Frost anywhere," she remarked nonchalantly as she strolled into the kitchen.

"I couldn't find him and he didn't come when I called," Jamie explained.

"Well, I guess I can't say he's not real then." Jamie's head lifted and Cinder laughed. "But that doesn't mean you didn't lose the bet. You're so making dinner tonight."

"Aw," Jamie groaned. "But I'll burn the house down."

"Calm down," Cinder shook her head, "I'll help."

Dinner, in fact, had gone well. Cinder helped Jamie cook some burgers and fries and she went into the fridge to grab drinks when she stopped. There wasn't anything to drink. _Water will have to do, then. I guess I'll go shopping tomorrow._

After Cinder had to force the kids to do their homework, she saw that it had gotten late and called bedtime for Sophie. Jamie insisted he would go to bed when his homework was done, but Cinder realized he had finished his work awhile ago. Not wanting to start another argument with the boy, she urged Sophie up the stairs and said she would come up to check on her in a little bit.

But instead of going back to the living room where Jamie was sitting, Cinder walked into the kitchen and began to clean up the mess from dinner. She hated doing the dishes, which was why she normally stayed at motels when she moved. She never had to do dishes; she could just buy premade food and use paper plates they provided from the breakfast area. But now that she was staying at someone's house, with _two _kids, she realized that doing the dishes was going to be essential.

Jamie walked by the kitchen on the way to the stairs and muttered a good night to Cinder.

"Goodnight, Jamie," Cinder paused. "Jamie?"

"Yeah?" Jamie stopped halfway up the stairs but didn't turn around.

"I'm... sorry about what I said. About Jack and everything," she admitted.

"What made you say that?"

Cinder paused, thinking intently. Failing to come up with a good answer, she simply said, "I just think it's the right thing. I mean, I did see someone, so maybe there's a chance that I'm wrong. But I doubt it," she added quickly. She didn't normally think that she was wrong and didn't want Jamie to get used to it.

"Yeah, sure," Jamie smirked and continued walking up the stairs.

Cinder gave up. _Wish I had a drink. _When she was done cleaning the kitchen, she also walked upstairs to get ready for bed. Hopefully tonight Pitch wouldn't need her again. She didn't feel like risking her identity quite so soon after the other night. And, for once, Cinder did not feel like flying. She tossed her day clothing into the corner, a considerable pile beginning to form, and pulled on a t-shirt and shorts.

Just as she had slipped into bed, she heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"I had another bad dream," Sophie's voice whispered as she opened the door.

"Already? You only went up to bed an hour ago," Cinder was mystified.

"It was really scary," Sophie whined softly. "Please, Cinder? Can I stay?"

Cinder sighed and complied. "But this is the last night, okay? You're six years old and a big girl now." Cinder almost choked up on the last part of the sentence. It was the same thing she always said to Rebecca when she had nightmares and climbed into Cinder's bed. Rubbing the small tears out of her eyes, she moved over to give Sophie room on the bed.

Almost immediately, Sophie fell asleep. Envious of the heavy sleeper, Cinder rolled over to face the window and forced her eyes shut. She was going to get plenty of sleep tonight.

Then she heard a few quick taps on the window.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hmmmmm I wonder who that could be? I know, I know, it's taken a long time for these two characters to finally meet, but I promise it's worth it! Their first conversation will take place over the next two chapters, so I hope you'll keep reading! Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	9. First Impressions

**Chapter 9** - _First Impressions_

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><p>"Bunny!" Jack had glided back to the ground in the middle of the village. "Bunny! Are you okay?" he shouted.<p>

"I'm awlright, I'm awlright," Bunny walked out of a nearby building, letting a child hop out of his arms and run to their family. But Jack didn't notice because he was busy laughing at Bunny's _drenched_ fur. "My fur, not so much."

"Hey, at least it wasn't burned off!" Jack replied between fits of laughter.

"No, the flyin' fire demon did that," Bunny turned to reveal a patch of fur missing near his tail. Jack laughed even harder.

"How'd you even do that?" Bunny was next to him now. Jack had confusion written on his face. "That rain stuff? I thought you were all snow and ice."

"That's what happened whenever I made snow around here. The fire melted it instantly."

"No fire is that hot, mate," Bunny pointed out.

"Well, this fire is." Jack was annoyed, but not at Bunny. "Did you see him?"

"Aye, but that darn cloak was too thick to see through," Bunny replied. "I'm surprised he wasn't dyin' inside that thing. Did you see 'im?"

Jack looked away in shame. "Yeah, and I almost had him, too."

"What happened?"

"I'm not really sure," Jack looked back at Bunny awhile before continuing, wondering if Bunny would believe him. "I think he wore some sort of ring on his finger and I... I think he works for Pitch."

"Pitch! We 'ad better get back to the Pole. If Pitch is back..."

"We'll stop him again," Jack finished Bunny's sentence.

"I hope so, mate," Bunny shook his head. "You got another portal, right?"

Jack nodded and tossed the globe in front of them. Something was very wrong and North needed to know immediately.

When they stepped out of the portal, they were in the globe room. Jack looked up to where they just were, and saw a large mound of black sand trickling down from the town's pinpoint. The lights of those children were still glowing, but they almost seemed fainter. _Fear is powerful, isn't it?_

Jack shook his head to get rid of the thought. This was bad. If that fire guy had succeeded, the lights would have gone out. As it was, they were beginning to dim. Why did Pitch have a partner? Worse, when did Pitch get this partner? There's no way it had been anytime within the last four years because Pitch was defeated by the Guardians and the kids. He had been taken underground by his own nightmarish horses. He should have been completely finished; even if not forever, at least for longer than four years. But if this fire guy succeeded again... That was what Jack feared the most about this situation. He feared that Pitch wouldn't come back alone.

"North! Tooth! Sandy!" Bunny shouted, running around to each of the doors that led out of the room. "You're gonna wanna hear about this!"

"North!" Jack yelled, slamming his staff into the ground, sending shards of ice everywhere. "North! It's Pitch!"

"Where are they?" Bunny asked desperately. "They shoulda been here waitin'."

"I don't know," Jack's voice failed. This didn't make sense. The others would have waited for them. More importantly, they were only gone for an hour or two, at most. Defeated, Jack jumped and sat on top of the globe. It was there that he saw more black sand over in Russia. His heart fell with realization.

"Bunny! There's more black sand!" Jack stood and pointed below him on the globe.

"Ya kiddin' me, mate?" Bunny hopped over and stared, incredulous. "Should we go, too?"

"That might be where they went, but..." Jack was unsure what to do.

"But what, Jack?" A familiar voice boomed from the outer halls. Pushing open the doors suddenly, North burst through with his large fur jacket still on. Sandy walked in with despair in his eyes and Tooth flew into the room, straight for Jack. She hugged him tightly. Baby Tooth flew in next and curled into Jack's hood, sighing with relief.

"Oh, Jack! You're alright," looking to Bunny, she added, "you're both alright. Thank goodness!"

"I could say the same for you guys," Jack replied. Then he turned to North and asked, "What happened?"

"There was black sand again," North explained, "we went to search. But, no fire person around. No, instead, black sand everywhere! Is like Pitch never left!"

"That's what we wanted to tell you!" Jack said. "We saw the fire guy, and..."

"And?" Tooth asked worriedly. Sandy looked up with intense interest.

"He's working for Pitch," Jack said in a low voice. "I think he's using the fire to feed children's fear to Pitch."

"If he keeps succeedin', Pitch will escape," Bunny added.

"Is not good, not good," North pet his beard and began pacing, a cutlass in his other hand. "We must find out who dis fire guy is." He turned to Sandy suddenly. "Do you know of any fire spirit?"

Sandy tapped his chin thoughtfully, thousands of sand images appearing and disappearing above his head. Finally, his dream sand settled into the shape of a question mark, with a crestfallen face to match.

"Tooth?" North raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Jack's a winter spirit," Tooth reasoned, "so is there a chance this was a summer spirit?"

"I think fire's a little drastic for a summer spirit's power," Bunny thought out loud. Sandy nodded in agreement.

"Besides, that wouldn't explain why he was targeting children with his fire," Jack added.

"Jack, not all spirits are here for the children," Tooth placated, putting her small hand on his shoulder. "Some are just plain nasty or neutral at best."

"Well there's no way this guy's neutral," Jack huffed. "Hey, Manny!" He yelled up to the ceiling windows. "You're the one that's neutral. Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you care at all?"

"Jack," North stopped him, "Man in Moon may not know, or think it time to tell us."

"But why? The children are in danger and could be getting _killed_."

"I know why you're upset, Jack. But there's always a plan, Manny just doesn't want to reveal it yet," Tooth placated again.

"Well he should! I'm not standing around when I could be finding this fire guy and stopping the entire problem from getting any worse!"

"Don't be so frosty, mate," Bunny warned him. "If we get hasty, we could make it worse ourselves."

Jack was fed up with the Guardians, and he let it show. Slamming his staff to the ground again, he scattered ice and snow haphazardly across the room. His heart rate picked up and the snowflakes began to flurry and create a storm. The wind picked up, flying in from the windows that had now been blown wide open. His chest was heaving and his frustration was making his vision blurry. It was getting scary for the other Guardians to watch Jack lose control like this, but they were too scared to get close to him. Baby Tooth flew out from his hood and hid in Tooth's hands.

Suddenly, Jack bolted. He flew up and out of the workshop and flew in blind fury to some unknown destination. He didn't know or particularly care where he went, as long as he was searching. Madly flying around anywhere he could think of, he investigated every place, hoping to find some trace of either Pitch or the fire guy. It was hours before he decided to settle.

When he flew down to a town's empty street, he slammed his fist against a road sign then shook his hand in pain. Kicking his staff so that it landed balanced on his shoulder, he began to slow down. Most of his outburst had subsided, but his anger hadn't faded. For once, he didn't care if children saw him then, he didn't think he could answer them happily. Even though it was now daylight, he figured the majority of children were already in school and couldn't actively search him out. Not that a whole lot of kids would, he was still a newer Guardian and not every child believed in him. Jack looked up to the sky and sighed. It was still fun to try and make them believe, but he didn't feel like doing any of that today. He was still frustrated that he couldn't find anything, not one clue that would have helped him find out about Pitch.

Jack suddenly had the sense that someone was calling to him. _Jamie_... He thought about taking off to see him, but realized that he was in no condition. He was still angry and didn't want Jamie to become worried.

Turning the corner, Jack happened upon a main street filled with little stores. Maybe he could get Jamie something to make up for not seeing him. Or maybe he could get something for Cinder. She didn't seem to like him, but maybe Jack could play the sweet and charming card. At least then she wouldn't expect his and Jamie's pranks. That could make him feel better, if the Guardians didn't call him back first. He really hoped they would leave him alone for once. After the show he gave them before slamming proverbial the door in their faces, he doubted they would want to see him at all. Tooth was probably extremely worried. He decided he would get her something, too. She deserved an apology most of all. She tried to talk him down, but he didn't listen. Perhaps they all had, but Jack wasn't willing to be too forgiving just yet.

Slipping through one of the store's doors at the same time as someone else, he walked around the place. He kept his staff upright and close to his side so that he didn't accidentally knock something over. Absently looking at the shelves, he pondered what Jamie would like. He was fourteen, and Jack was never good with gifts. He remembered that about himself when he was human, too. Jack realized he was in a sort of sporting goods store, and he figured Jamie liked most sports. He stopped in front of a line of clothing and looked more intently. Up on a high rack, he found a blank hockey jersey that was white with several blues for the trim. The number wasn't important, he figured, so he grabbed one and quickly stuffed it into his sweatshirt pocket. He hoped there were no cameras in this place. Glancing around again, he didn't think he'd find anything for Tooth or Cinder here. He slipped out quietly when someone opened the door.

Back on the street, Jack began whistling. The current activity was taking the underlying situation off his mind, and he was glad for it. The signs above the shops swayed in the breeze he sent through the street. Smirking, he reached up and tapped his staff on one of the signs, creating ice swirls across the wooden surface. Then he stopped and turned to the store window. There were a lot of shiny crystals and charms hanging off of necklaces, bracelets, and other things Jack didn't recognize. He figured Tooth would like almost anything from this store, so he snuck in.

Keeping his staff close again, Jack tiptoed around the precariously displayed jewelry. Raising and furrowing his eyebrows in succession at all of the different shiny things, he settled on a necklace with a pale purple gem wrapped in silver hanging from the chain. Glancing around carefully, he wound the piece around his wrist and pulled his sweatshirt over it. Jack turned to leave but halted abruptly when he saw an old woman go pale in the face. She couldn't see him, but Jack knew she must have seen a floating necklace disappear.

"Oops," Jack winced.

The woman was falling backwards from fright. Jack tried to hold his staff out to steady her, but it phased right through her and she fell anyway. Before a scene erupted, Jack fled the store.

He ran out of the building laughing, feeling only slightly bad. It was still too funny. _Oh, the look on her face!_ He laughed some more.

Calming himself down, Jack proceeded down the street once more. His smile slowly faded as he realized he was still looking for one last gift. For a girl he barely knew, too. Why was he doing this?

_Because she's someone my age that can see me, _he reminded himself firmly. _And she doesn't seem to like me much. I'm starting to turn into one of the Guardians, coming up with gimmicks to get people to like and believe in them._

Jack searched through every store on each side of the street, but nothing struck his idea of something gift-worthy. There were shops with animals, shops with tools, shops with candles, and shops with furniture. Nothing seemed right. He didn't even know what _could_ seem right as a gift for a seventeen year old girl, assuming she was even that old. Jack realized he knew nothing about her, and that this quest was going to be impossible.

Then he stumbled upon a small winter clothing outlet at the end of the other side of the street. Cinder hadn't had a whole lot on her when she came to pick up Jamie, he remembered. She had been wearing a sweater, which was hardly appropriate for the weather, even Jack thought so. With it getting colder, he figured she would probably want something warmer. He didn't know if she had anything warmer, but it was worth a shot. It's not like he had to pay for anything.

But what could he get? Jack didn't have any room on his person to get her a coat, and he didn't know what style she would like. _Why do I care so much,_ he caught himself thinking, but shook it off as he kept peering around the store. _It's just a distraction for me. If the Guardians want me to be at least a tiny bit cheerful, they'll let me be and what I'm doing right now helps that. That's all this is._

Frowning, he wasn't finding a whole lot that he thought would work. Scarves also required some knowledge of style, and she didn't seem like the type to wear them. Hats were probably out of the question, too, because she didn't seem to care about what her hair was doing. _It looked like a wreck, _Jack recalled the bright red hair...

A thought crept into the back of his mind, but he ignored it as soon as it was about to surface.

Changing his mind, Jack spent his sweet time looking at all the hats around him, thinking that maybe a hat was actually a good idea. If her hair was always like that, maybe a hat was what she needed. He frowned in concentration when he saw out of the corner of his eye a pair of slim, dark blue gloves. They were almost the same color as his sweatshirt, but a little darker. Putting down the hat he had been debating on, he picked up the gloves and studied them carefully.

They were thin, but it came to Jack's attention that Cinder may not want super thick articles of clothing at all. She seemed to give off a heat wave when Jack met her, so maybe slimmer was better. Finalizing his decision, he put the gloves inside his already stuffed sweatshirt pocket and made for the door. Knowing that it was getting late and no one was going to come into or leave the store, he took a chance and opened the door himself.

The owner came out of the store and was shocked to see trails of ice weaving throughout the aisles in his store. Looking up at the door, he saw that it was just barely closing. Confused, he shrugged and began to close up the shop for the night.

Jack looked around for a clock. He wasn't exactly sure what time it was, but he had to get to Burgess before the Guardians called him back and the others were asleep. Taking off, he flew over the town momentarily, looking for any sort of time piece. Not that it would guarantee the correct time for Burgess, but it would give him something to work from. After a second he realized he could possibly be on a different continent and have a long ways to travel before reaching Burgess. Hoping that wasn't the case, he floated back down and looked inside a building's window.

A clock on the furthest wall read 8:30pm, and Jack swore to himself silently. He really hoped he was in the same time zone. Jack walked around, listening to pieces of conversations. It seemed like everyone was speaking English readily, so that narrowed his choices. He flew up again, looking for a post office or a subway, something with a map. Finding the nearest bus station, he landed again and peered quizzically at the map. He was somewhere in New York, that was for sure. Taking that as his cue, he left the building and flew south for Burgess. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

><p>The flight took longer than expected, since it was now dark out, but Jack found his way to his hometown as best he could. Dropping down to the pond, he took out the contents he had taken on his shopping trip. The jersey and the gloves would come with him, but he couldn't keep the necklace wrapped around his wrist. It had constantly felt like it was falling off, and that was when Jack was flying a relatively short distance. He didn't want it to fall on his way back to the Pole, if he even ended up going back anytime soon. Flying up to the ridge overhanging the pond, he stuck the necklace in a little alcove just below the snowy top. He promised to come back for it later and headed over to Jamie's house.<p>

Landing quietly on the roof to Jamie's bedroom, Jack swung himself upside down and checked out the room. Jamie was at the desk, hunched over something in apparent concentration. Jack tapped on the window and Jamie flinched in surprise, turning around while almost tipping his chair over.

"Jack?" he heard Jamie ask through the glass. Jamie walked over to the window and opened it. "Hey, where have you been? I tried to call to you earlier and it was like you vanished off the earth. Cinder wanted you to prove yourself and you made it look like you didn't exist! Care to explain?"

"You sound like your mother," Jack poked fun at Jamie.

Jamie smirked but wasn't buying it. "You still aren't answering me."

Jack didn't want to tell Jamie about everything that had happened since last night just yet, so instead he held out the jersey. "I was looking for stuff, and I thought you'd like this," he smiled sheepishly.

Jamie took the bundle of fabric and unfolded it. "Wow! That's awesome, Jack. Where'd you get this?"

"Oh, a place," Jack winked.

Jamie laughed. "So how long can you stay?" he asked as he laid the jersey on his nightstand.

"Honestly, I don't know," Jack shrugged. "But not too long; are the others asleep?"

"Sophie went to bed a little while ago, but I heard her up and about again, so I'm not sure. She probably had a bad dream and tried to shake it off."

That got Jack thinking. Were nightmares beginning to return to the children of the world? Was Pitch strong enough to return yet? He didn't voice any of this to Jamie, but he was visibly worried.

"Relax," Jamie said when he saw Jack's countenance change, "she's probably still upset that mom's gone."

Jack nodded, taking that as a viable reason because he didn't feel like getting worked up again. He and Jamie talked for a little while, catching up on whatever they could think of while they could. Jamie talked about his first day back and about Pippa being mad about him not calling her for help on the homework (which Jamie was completely abashed by). Jack laughed and offered a piece of advice: talk to her. Jamie seemed confused by that answer, but he soon ignored it and the conversation went on.

"But it's getting late, so I think I'm going to head to bed already," Jamie finished.

Jack looked at Jamie's alarm clock and realized he had spent over an hour talking to Jamie. "Oh, sorry, I guess I better get going, too."

"See you tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely," Jack promised as he climbed back out of Jamie's window.

"Goodnight, Jack."

"Night," Jack said before disappearing around the side of the house. He wasn't actually leaving just yet. He wanted see if Cinder was awake and if she would talk to him. Pausing just outside the window, and before looking in, he tapped on the glass with his staff, creating swirls of ice patterns.

Biting his lip, Jack waited for some sort of reaction. Instead of shooting straight up in alarm, a girl slowly pushed her body up and stared menacingly out the window. When she realized who it was, she mouthed "are you serious" and sat up carefully. Putting her head in her hand, she used her free one to unlatch the window. It was then that Jack saw the black mark beneath her clavicle that was visible because of her low shirt.

"Aw, come on," Jack smiled easily, "at least open it. I just wanna talk."

Cinder looked away, mimicking someone deep in thought. Looking back at him, she shook her head and wagged her finger simultaneously. _No._

Jack pouted and put his hands together in a mock pleading gesture. He thought he heard Cinder laugh because she lightened up and reached for the window again. Jack sat on the outer sill and waited for her to lift it up. To his dismay, she only opened it partly, hardly wide enough for his head to fit through.

"What is it, Jack Frost?" Cinder asked tiredly. "I want to actually have some sleep tonight."

"Why wouldn't you?"

In answer, Cinder moved to the side slightly and looked behind her. There, on the other half of her bed was Sophie, dead asleep.

Jack nodded. "She really seems to like you."

"Yeah, I'm really not sure why," Cinder's brows furrowed. "I'm not that nice."

"I've noticed," Jack agreed.

The redhead whipped her head around to stare at him with pursed lips. "That wasn't nice, either."

Jack put his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Could you just open the window a little more?"

Cinder tapped the window up slightly, a smile curling on her lips.

"Funny," Jack said. "Please?"

"Why?" Cinder put her hands on her hips.

"Trust me," Jack said earnestly.

Cinder rolled her eyes, but opened the window the rest of the way anyway. "Now what? You going to prank me somehow like you told Jamie you were going to?"

Jack smirked, but he knew the pranks could wait. "I came here to make peace, I promise. We didn't necessarily get off on the right foot, so I thought I'd, I don't know, try again." Jack reached into his pocket and retrieved the gloves.

"What are those?" Cinder held the gloves when Jack passed them to her. "Bargaining chips?"

"Huh?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You know," Cinder explained slowly, "something you use to get someone to like you; an exchange of sorts."

"Ah, well," Jack stumbled. That's sort of what they were, weren't they? "I didn't mean that, I just thought you could use them. It is getting cold and you don't seem to own much warm clothing. He absent-mindedly gestured to her nightclothes.

"What?" Cinder looked down at her body. "Is it too skimpy?"

Jack's face reddened as he realized what he just said. He began stammering and stuttering in apology when he heard her giggling quietly. "What's so funny?"

"You're so prude, it's great," she justified the humor. "Look, it was nice to chat with you, Jack Frost, but I really could use some sleep."

"W-wait," Jack held out his hand momentarily and then brought it back before she noticed. "I... I want to know more about you. Tell me, why is it that you can see me?"

"Like I know!" Cinder threw up her hands incredulously. "I didn't even think someone like you existed. I thought you were just another fairy tale, like the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy or─"

"Or Santa Claus," Jack finished her sentence.

"Exactly," then Cinder paused, stunned. "They _are_ just fairytales, right?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"_No way_. No. You're kidding. I don't believe you," Cinder shook her head in disbelief. "I can settle for one of you being real, but all of the others?"

"Yup," Jack bowed. "And we're the Guardians of Childhood."

"Shut up," Cinder held up her hand. "There is no way you are telling the truth. I still hardly believe you have winter powers."

"Do you want me to show you?" Jack held out his hand.

Biting her lip, Cinder looked from Jack to his hand and back again. She seemed to debate it carefully, and Jack began to sweat. He really hoped she would say yes, partially because he wanted to show off but also partially because he really wanted her to be his friend. Having a friend that was his age would be a huge stress relief, even if she would only be around his age for a little while longer. And who knew when she was going to stop believing─ or doing whatever it was that made her able see him. Jack didn't want to miss out on possibly his only chance to befriend someone like this.

Cinder reached her hand out and hesitantly grabbed Jack's hand when an intense burst of pain spread into his hand and up his arm like lightening. His vision went completely white and he was afraid that he was going to fall off of the roof. Crying out, he took his hand back and cradled it against him. It was suddenly terrifyingly hot and he looked down to see what happened. His hand was burned; not a little red, but _burned _down his arm to his elbow. And it hurt like hell. He was about to yell at Cinder when he looked into her room with complete shock.

Cinder lay on the ground from falling off the bed. And her arm was covered in ice, turning purple by the second.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: GUYS I am so excited about this story! I've just finished writing the 19th chapter. It's probably going to have upwards of 30 chapters total (or more! ^^) just to let you know, but you can still make suggestions. ;)**

**I just thought I'd tell you guys that I may be uploading a new "story" soon that's more comedic, less plotted-out than this one. I don't know if I should, but if I do decide to post it, I'll let you know! I also had another idea for a story, but it would require A LOT of focus because it's fairly content-heavy. If I choose to write that one then it'll will be toward the ending of this story (unless I decide to do a sequel, or make this idea fit into the sequel somehow).  
><strong>

**Ugh, it's just like me to get a bunch of writing ideas before several exams. D: Anyway! Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	10. Unlikely Circumstances

**Chapter 10** - _Unlikely Circumstances_

* * *

><p>Cinder reached her hand out tenderly. Jack was going to prove himself to her without hesitation, but she thought she was going to call his bluff. When their hands touched, however, pain shot through her being.<p>

Cinder's back thudded against the carpet and all air was forced out of her. Red hair had been blown across her face in frizzy pieces and her green eyes dimmed momentarily. Her right arm was flung outward from her body and completely numb. But this was a different kind of numb. The numb feeling she used to get from using too much fire or from sitting on her hands too long was what she was used to. This breed of numb encapsulated her entire arm in a sharp, never-ending cast that rendered her arm useless. It tore her mind apart, trying to figure out why the arm felt like it was no longer hers. It felt white hot, but she knew it wasn't. The hottest fire in the world couldn't hurt her, so her arm wasn't hot. Cinder began to hyperventilate, trying to make the air spread through her system in the hopes that her arm would recover. But her arm remained feeling brisk and unmovable. Turning her head to the right, she blinked weakly and peered down at what should have been her arm. Her breath caught again and her eyes widened.

Her arm was encased in ice and turning purple.

Cinder's arm was _cold_.

"What did you do?!" Cinder whispered a shriek. "What the hell is wrong with my arm?!"

"I─ I don't know!" Jack stuttered, alarmed. Cinder noticed he was cradling his left arm and the sleeve was pulled over his hand. "I'm sorry!"

Cinder was able to sit up with one arm, but the other followed independent of her wishes. When she went to pick up the arm and put it in her lap, the cold ice hurt her fingertips. "Ouch," she muttered and shook her free hand. Admiring the dead arm, she raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "You have some kind of power, that's for sure. Hell of a way to show it," she glared at him.

"I didn't do that," Jack defended himself. "Look at what you did to _my _arm!" He rolled back his sleeve with an antagonizing slowness, and Cinder saw why. His arm was burned from finger tip to elbow. It wasn't just red, but it wasn't burnt to a black crisp. It was safe to say that it was probably a second degree burn in most spots.

"Well at least yours isn't in danger of falling off!" Cinder whispered as she stood shakily. Her breath still hadn't caught up to her, and she still felt a little disoriented. She wavered and stumbled a little before making it to the doorway.

"Where are you going? Do you need help?" Jack asked with concern laced in his voice.

Cinder didn't say anything. She was busy trying to keep her head from swimming and her body from crashing to the floor again. Whatever happened, it hurt her more than it had hurt him from what she could tell. Keeping her arm to her stomach, she hoped her internal heat would do some good. It didn't seem like it was, however, which was why she was aiming to make it to the bathroom. When she made it down the hall, she leaned on the doorframe and grabbed at the back of her shirt with her good hand. Not for the first time, she found her fingers couldn't grasp the fabric and she felt too weak to pull it over her head, let alone her frozen arm.

Jack had followed some ways behind her. He was a few feet down the hall, looking anxious. Something in his features made Cinder believe Jack had seen something he shouldn't have.

"Hey, wanna help me here?" Cinder was desperate. "I need a hot shower, but I can't get my shirt..." she turned her head over her shoulder and saw that Jack was looking away, his face as red as a fire engine, "never mind. You know what? I'll just run the bath and dip my arm in."

"I'd probably freeze you again if I tried to help," Jack reasoned with an unsure voice, "and, um, my arm doesn't feel the greatest either."

"You can still use it, I'm sure," Cinder sneered.

"Not really," Jack admitted, "it's pretty useless, and my ice hurts it."

Cinder frowned. _What just happened?_ He came by her window just as she was about to fall asleep, and asked to talk to her. Cinder really, really, really wanted to sleep after what occurred the other night. And she had to wake up early the next day to get the kids ready for school and then go shopping for food. _Yuck, it's like I'm a housewife now,_ she wrinkled her nose and returned her thoughts to Jack.

He had had a pleading look in his blue eyes that made Cinder consider opening the window, but she had only unlatched it. She was wavering between shooing him off and allowing him in. On one hand, he had no idea she and the fire-setter were the same person. On the other, she didn't want to give him the evidence to find out. But he had seemed so honest in asking to make friends. Cinder had had her doubts plenty of times before, but Jack changed her mind. Maybe things would have changed for the better.

_And now look, I've given him all the proof he needs!_ Cinder thought bitterly as she shoved her frozen arm under the water in the bathtub. She gritted her teeth and hissed from the sudden change in temperature.

"That wasn't very ladylike," Jack snickered.

Cinder whipped her head around and glared. "You don't know anything about me."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," Jack backed off.

"Why don't you just go back to the other _Guardians_," she spat her emphasis. "Isn't it like a job of yours?"

But when she looked over in his direction again, she saw a hint of sadness on his face, quickly replaced by anger. Cinder could also see that he was biting his lip rather harshly. Whatever resentment he felt, Cinder thought she could identify with it. She knew what it was like to be shunned, if that was the case. Jack grimaced, holding his arm delicately. Maybe he was hurt pretty badly after all.

"Sorry," Cinder apologized, "I didn't know you weren't working with them."

"I am working with them," Jack corrected, "I just... left the last meeting a little early."

"That's an odd reason to be upset," Cinder commented, poking and prodding her bad arm with her good one. The pale color was beginning to return, but it still felt useless. Looking at her ring that was now under the water, she noticed it has a certain bluish-green glow to it, and the specks flitted in jagged patterns. She'd never seen it move around so much before.

"They want to remain complacent," Jack explained, bringing her thoughts back to him.

"And you don't," Cinder ascertained. "So, what's the issue they don't want to address, then?"

Jack held his breath and stiffened, still standing in the doorway. It seemed like he didn't want to disclose the issue, so Cinder didn't continue to ask. Instead, she raised her arm out of the water and tried to clench her fist. The fingers were resistant at first, but she was able to move them slowly. Dunking her hand back in the water, she slowly heated the water so that Jack wouldn't notice.

Jack walked into the room and sat, perched like an owl, on the toilet's lid. Letting go of his breath, he answered, "There's this spirit, his name's Pitch, the Nightmare King. He rose up four years ago and tried to make the children of the world stop believing in the Guardians."

"Which would be Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny?"

"And the Sandman," Jack added. "Pitch succeeded in getting Sandy, though," Jack's voice trailed off momentarily, emotion thick in the air, "but he came back because we were able to get the children to believe again."

"Why did he want the children to stop believing?" Cinder couldn't help the curiosity slipping into her question. Pitch never told her his plans. He always left suddenly and came back just the same way. She knew he fed off of fear, which was where she helped, but she had no clue why he would try and stop kids from believing. Wouldn't that hurt him, too?

"A Guardian's power comes from the children. If the children stop believing in them, they become weak. Pitch planned to finish them off."

Cinder tried to hide her surprise by gritting her teeth and poking her arm under the water. Pitch never mentioned the Guardians, but surely he would never kill, would he? Pitch didn't strike Cinder as the killing type. He was dark and sometimes scary, sure, but deadly? "Wait, you said 'them.' Didn't you say you were a Guardian, too?"

"I wasn't at the time."

"Oh, a newbie," Cinder snickered and peered at him in the corner of her eyes.

Jack rolled his eyes and twirled his staff. "Yeah, sure," Jack answered, "some of them have been Guardians longer than I've been a spirit."

Cinder pulled her arm out and unplugged the drain. "What were you before?" It was supposed to be a joke, but Jack took it seriously.

Jack knit his brows. "Human."

Cinder's eyes widened in shock before she could recover and she wished she could have hidden it. Formerly a human? That was impossible. Cinder didn't remember anything before she awoke underneath the burned house. She figured she was always a spirit. But if Jack was a spirit, and he had once been human, did that mean she used to be human, too? She couldn't just ask him. For all she knew, he still thought of her as some strange human girl who could see him despite being older than most believers.

"What's wrong?" Jack leaned in.

"Nothing," Cinder snapped, turning toward the door and marching down the hallway. "I'm going back to bed. You go and freeze a lake or something."

"So you believe in me?" Jack leaned into the bedroom doorway after she had walked through, his face lit up excitedly.

Cinder sighed. "I believe you are Jack Frost," she admitted hesitantly, "the spirit of winter." She hated to say it, but now she knew it was true. If his ice and her fire reacted that violently, then there was definitely something weird happening.

"Thank you very much," Jack bowed, then held his hurt arm and winced again.

"Do you want me to check that?" Cinder offered before she realized what she said. She didn't want to get anywhere close to this guy, why was she offering help?

Jack mulled it over briefly. "Just don't touch it," he warned.

Cinder pulled the gloves off the bed. "Your gift came in handy," she said smugly as she slipped them on. "They fit nicely," she murmured as her way of quiet thanks.

"You're welcome," Jack hissed as Cinder grabbed his burned arm unexpectedly. "And that hurt."

Cinder hushed him and looked over his arm. It was still fairly cold, which Cinder felt thoroughly now and it made her ill just holding it. Now that she knew what the cold was, she wished it had never existed. It hurt, a lot. His arm, however, had burn marks that raked the inside of his arm, missing every vein, thankfully. It could use some ice, but Jack claimed his hurt.

"I'll go get you an ice pack," Cinder let go of his arm carefully.

"Ice didn't work," Jack complained.

"_Your_ ice didn't work," Cinder corrected him.

"How do you know that's the case?"

Cinder bit her lip. She knew because she found her fire didn't work on her arm, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "I don't. Come on, I'm assuming you've been in this house before?"

"Jamie's a good friend," Jack answered.

Cinder nodded. "I thought as much."

They walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jack sat down on a nearby stool with his burned arm in his lap while Cinder searched in the dark for the freezer handle. It was completely dark downstairs, so she quickly lit a candle that was on the counter next to the fridge before Jack could notice what she did. Opening the freezer, she squinted at the sudden light and began rummaging through its contents. Frozen peas, carrots, and some whipped cream container that smelled like fish. It probably was fish. _Gross. _Closing the freezer door, she held out an ice pack to Jack, who took it skeptically.

It was then that Jamie's dog growled from the living room. Cinder walked over to the doorway and hissed at the greyhound, threatening that if Abby didn't stay quiet she'd make her stay quiet. The dog peered into the kitchen and growled again, lower. _As if I couldn't hear you, damn dog. I wonder if she sees Jack? Can animals see spirits?_ Deciding after a third growl that Abby could, in fact, see Jack Frost, Cinder herded the dog back into the living room and told her to lie down. A few tries later, and Cinder was able to walk back into the kitchen without Abby making another fuss. She walked back to the other side of the island and sat down, watching to see what Jack did.

Visibly bracing himself, Jack had set the ice pack on top of his arm, which almost looked like it was smoking underneath the ice pack. Grimacing, he held it there without complaining.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jack spoke. "It's helping, thanks."

"Don't mention it," Cinder looked away, hand leaning against the counter. "When you're done, just put it back in the freezer and let yourself out," she said as she turned toward the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Jack almost sounded scared.

"Going back to bed, what does it look like?"

"Can't you stay and talk for a bit?" Jack's eyes pleaded. They were still _too blue_, but Cinder shook it off.

"I... I don't know. It's late, I'm tired, and I've got to get them up and go shopping; there's no food in the house, and I─"

"Well, I can't help with the shopping," Jack interrupted, "but I can get Jamie and Sophie to school. I'll let you sleep in."

"You really don't want to go back to the Guardians, do you?" Cinder raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Not yet, no," Jack admitted sheepishly.

Cinder smiled, turned around, and sat on a stool across from Jack. She couldn't believe herself. Why was she allowing herself to get close to this guy? He was basically her enemy, or at least Pitch's enemy. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to hate him completely. But imprisoning the only one who understood her and cared for her... she wasn't exactly on level ground with Jack. Letting the anger slip before it turned into panic, she exhaled. "Alright, talk."

Jack tapped his fingers against the ice pack, thinking quickly. "How about a game instead?"

"What?" Cinder threw up a hand. "Jack, I just said I was tired. I'm in no shape to play a game."

"Just something simple then, like Truth or Dare," Jack suggested.

"What are you, twelve?" Cinder raised her voice incredulously. "No way, next idea."

"Wait," Jack stopped her by holding up his free hand, "we'll use a coin. Do you have one?"

Cinder made a show of checking her thin nightclothes. "Gee, I must have left my purse upstairs," she threw up her hands in mock defeat. "No, I don't."

"Okay, okay," Jack placated, rubbing his fingers together. "What about this?" He held up a cap to a drink Jamie must have opened earlier that day. "The top of the cap is for truth, the inside of the cap is for dare. Whoever wins the call asks the question, which means more than one question can be asked by the same person in a row if they keep calling the correct side," he explained.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "Are we really playing this?"

"It's your choice," Jack raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

Cinder sighed and waved her hand forward. "Guest first," she gestured.

Jack smiled mischievously. He tossed the cap up and held it there with his staff focusing the wind in that area. "Heads," he called.

Cinder glared at him again. "You little cheater," she mouthed. He could call the wind just like her. He flew like her. They were more alike than she figured. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Tails," she called louder.

When Jack let the wind die down, the cap landed with the flat top pointing upward. "Look who gets the first question!" Jack winked.

Cinder pursed her lips. "Alright, fine. So that's truth?" She wasn't sure she wanted to play the game anymore. However, if she backed out, she couldn't be sure that Jack wouldn't be at least a little suspicious.

Jack nodded and thought carefully. "What's your real name?"

Cinder laughed shortly. "Wait, really? You could've asked anything! It's Cinder."

"Full name," Jack clarified.

"McAllister," Cinder answered automatically, but Jack wasn't buying it. He looked at her as if expecting a better lie. However, Cinder didn't have one.

"Alright, I don't have one. It's just Cinder."

"Parents gave you up or something?"

"I'd still have a last name if that were the case."

"So, no last name? No middle name, either?"

Cinder shook her head. The question was surprisingly personal, and she was scared that he would try and prod further. Her name was given to her by Pitch because she didn't think she had one, but she wasn't about to disclose that piece of information. But now that she knew spirits were once human... "What about you?"

"It's my question," Jack reminded her, "but if you really want to know, it's Jackson."

"Reasonable conclusion: 'Jack' to 'Jackson.' Were you tired of saying so many syllables?" Cinder commented with a smirk.

"Jackson Overland, originally. Frost can be added after," he finished.

The name sent Cinder into an inward panic spiral. The name echoed in her mind and resounded louder with each passing second. It shouldn't have been familiar, but it was and for some reason Cinder couldn't get rid of the thoughts nagging at her consciousness. It sent goose bumps up her arms, including her bad arm, which still hurt a little bit. A lump in her throat formed and without knowing why, she gasped. Her heartbeat quickened and she bit her lip down hard to keep it from showing. She swore he could hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. Knowing she couldn't readily speak, Cinder simply nodded and held out her gloved hand for the cap. She really hoped Jack couldn't see what was going on inside her mind.

"None of your wind this time," Cinder was able to choke out in a low voice. Jack withdrew his hands from the table and set his staff down on the floor. "Tails," she called again, softly this time.

"Heads."

It landed on heads for the second time. Cinder was almost relieved. She was in no state of mind to think of any type of question. On the other hand, it was another Truth question. Hopefully it wasn't anything too deep.

"How old are you?"

_Are you serious?_ Cinder hated how the simplest questions were still problematic. Thankfully, this one wasn't a complete lie, as far as she knew. "Eighteen," she was able to answer smoothly. The small panic had subsided.

"Seventeen," Jack said, and then Cinder realized he was answering it back. _He's a year younger than me? Well, if we were both human. I have no idea about the years of spirits._

"I don't think the spirit of winter is seventeen years old," Cinder said quizzically.

"Three hundred and twenty-one," Jack corrected himself. "I was three hundred and seventeen four years ago."

"Well, that must have been a lovely birthday," Cinder smirked.

"Yeah well, I received a pretty great gift," Jack smiled, looking off in no particular direction. Cinder almost thought he was sad, but the smile seemed off.

"What was it?" Cinder decided to ask.

"My memories," Jack answered, looking back at her, "from when I was human."

Cinder lost all control then. Without a filter, she reached across the table and drew her face close to his, which was unbearably frigid. "You can regain those?" she asked urgently.

"Yeah," Jack was startled, "the Tooth Fairy collects children's teeth because they contain childhood memories. She keeps them in cases and she or the owner of the teeth can access the memories."

Cinder's face lit up. What if she had memories from being a human? What if she had a real past?

What if she wasn't Cinder?

The last question jarred her mentally and she fell back into her seat, slumped forward. If everything she knew was a lie, what was she going to do? She lived hundreds of years by the name Cinder, under Pitch's teaching. He gave her everything she knew about herself. But what if he was wrong? Cinder shook her head visibly. Pitch saved her. There's no way he would ever do that to her. Not after what happened with the Walkers... Oh, how badly she wanted a drink.

"Oh," was all she could mutter past the renewed lump in her throat.

"You can ask the next question," Jack changed the subject.

"But we have to flip the cap," Cinder pointed to it.

"I've already asked two, I don't want to accidentally get a third."

"It could always be a dare," Cinder reminded him.

"Fine," he tossed the cap, "heads."

_Again? What does he not want me to ask?_ "Tails," Cinder answered firmly. It landed on tails and Cinder smirked. "Told you," she taunted. "I dare you to make it snow in the room," she asked with no hesitation. She wanted to see him actually use his magic, and she was curious to see exactly how magical it was.

"That's it?" Jack laughed as he picked his staff up off the floor. He pointed it toward the ceiling and what looked like ice shot out of the top of the curve in the staff. Suddenly, the room flashed a soft white and from the ceiling dropped a few lazy snowflakes. Then more began to fall. A peaceful quiet settled into the room as hundreds of snowflakes twinkled and swirled in circles and zigzags. When they landed near Cinder, however, they instantly melted and dampened her hair and her skin. In the back of her mind, she hoped that Jack wouldn't notice. But at the moment, she felt light and comforted, surrounded by the rest of the snow that wasn't melting. When each flake landed on a surface, they dissipated in blue sparkles without a trace. The best part, however, was that this snow wasn't cold like Jack, but it wasn't melting as easily, either. Maybe it was because she was so enthralled by them, but she didn't feel the need to think too hard about it. Her green eyes lit up and her hair held a soft moonlight glow around the edges, highlighted by the coppery undertones. When the last snowflake disappeared, she turned to Jack, still smiling in awe.

His pale face and white hair glowed softly, little snowflakes still present and making their home there. The blue eyes were now a brighter blue, and Cinder noticed that they had a snowflake pattern around the pupil that made his eyes more cheerful than she thought was possible. Then there was his smile. It was a lopsided smile that showed his amazingly white teeth. _I bet the Tooth Fairy loves him. _She thought about taunting him, but his face held pure interest, fun, and intrigue that drew Cinder in a trance. He laughed the longer that she looked at him and his cheeks began to turn into a light pink tint.

"What's so funny?" Cinder snapped out of it, some of her heat escaping her, despite her better knowledge.

"It's nothing," Jack was still smiling, but he looked away, "you just actually looked happy. It almost didn't fit you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cinder narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, no," Jack's face turned to mild surprise, "I just meant it seems like you haven't been happy before. It was a nice change."

It was Cinder's turn to blush, but considering her powers, the color in her cheeks was far more noticeable. It was sort of true. The only time she really felt happy was when she could fly around, but that didn't happen unless she wanted to lose sleep or she had a job to do. Both situations meant the happiness couldn't last. But Cinder had given up on feeling that way. Being immortal, she realized, meant giving up many human functions, which included happiness and friendship. She suddenly became cognizant of what was happening, and she frowned.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Cinder said flatly. She knew the question he was meaning to ask her.

"But we just got started..." Jack's countenance fell momentarily, but he tried to smile again. "Alright," he said quietly. "Goodnight, Cinder."

"Night," she muttered as she turned away and headed up the stairs. "You're taking them to school, remember that! I don't want to wake up before ten tomorrow!"

"Aye, aye," Jack saluted her, even though she was already gone from sight.

Cinder got up into her room and shut the door quietly, then slumped down to the floor and stared out the window. The heat returned to her instantly and she reminded herself of the immense pressure that she kept within her so that Jack wouldn't be overwhelmed. She was worried that he would have questioned her about his burned arm, but he didn't mention a word. It didn't even seem like he was all that worried about it. A tepid frenzy took over her thoughts once again. Jack Frost was once human, and he had memories of those times. Cinder was a spirit, and now she wanted her memories. But first she had to deal with Jack.

He worked for the Guardians. Pitch was imprisoned by the Guardians, and Pitch was her contractor, her protector, and practically her father. By all counts, Cinder and Jack should hate each other. And before the previous night's job, Pitch mentioned that he would contact her again when he could. If he was freed and still needed her, she couldn't let herself get hurt again.

_I will not repeat myself, damn it. I learned the first time, and I will not make this mistake again. _She swore to herself as she crawled over Sophie and into bed that as soon as she had her memories, she would leave everything behind and finish wherever she left off: being alone.

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><p><strong>AN: Ten chapters in and they've FINALLY had a full conversation! But don't worry, the rest of the story will not be this slow. From here on out, things are going to get pretty complicated. ;) So please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	11. Bitter Reunion

**Chapter 11** - _Bitter Reunion_

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><p>Cinder rolled over and blinked her eyes lazily. The entire bed was hers to keep as warm as she liked, and she cherished it. Stretching to her heart's content, she peered at the clock on the nightstand. It read 10:30am and Cinder knew she couldn't be smiling wider. Jack had actually taken the kids to school and let her sleep in! She'd have to thank him next time she saw the spirit. Sitting upright, she noticed that she was still wearing the gloves Jack had given her last night. Letting out a short huff of laughter, she took them off and set them on the pillow. Other matters were more pressing.<p>

Cinder absolutely had to find her way to the Tooth Palace soon. She had been there before, four years ago, on a job for Pitch, although she never remembered accepting it in the first place. He needed help strengthening his nightmares and getting access into the palace, and she was able to do just that. The tooth cases, he said, were the goal. They were important for his grand plan, but he never explained why. Cinder figured he had his reasons and did as he said because she wanted to get it over with. He had berated her for days to do the job, and she learned, not for the first time, that it was better to do as she was told.

But now, Cinder knew what the teeth were for. She had given Pitch access to the memories of millions of children, including Jack's and possibly her own. Pitch may have even found hers. She wanted to ask him, but she knew better than to call on him. He never answered. He did whatever he pleased without telling her for these few hundred years, but she was expected to wait on him for every second of every day should he need her. That required a flexible schedule which also made finding jobs difficult.

Cinder had gotten downstairs and into the fridge when she realized what she had to do that day. The fridge was practically empty and there was very little in the cabinets. The $150 that Mrs. Bennett had given her would be completely spent if Cinder was going to keep the house running. She wasn't used to such responsibility, and sneered when she realized it meant going out in public.

Walking into her room, Cinder realized she didn't have clean clothing. Normally, her two sets were enough because no one saw her that often anyway. Now, she had to wear something different or get more weird looks. She walked over to Mrs. Bennett's room and opened the door quietly. The room was pristine and painted a light blue. Cinder walked in carefully, making sure she didn't mess anything up. Once she reached the closet, she paused. Was she really going to steal their mother's clothing? _Not steal, borrow. _She doubted that they were even the same size. That and the kids might recognize some of the pieces. Taking a deep breath, she dug through to the farthest ends of the closet, hoping to find clothing that may not have been worn often. She found a dark green skirt and black leggings and decided that would have to do.

As she was about to leave the house, Cinder remembered that she would have to wear her sweater. She knew she was bound to get stares anyway, but she wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. A wool sweater with a loose skirt looked odd, but Cinder didn't particularly care. It was just the store. She could do this.

The town's grocery store was a mile within the town, but it took Cinder longer because the roads were not straight and simple and she clearly did not know the way. Just as she had predicted, people were staring at her from across the streets and in passing. They were all wearing heavy winter jackets and boots and hats and mittens and all she had were the slim gloves that Jack had given her.

Eventually, she found the brick building with the word "Grocery" written on the sign and walked inside. The air was considerably warmer, not that it mattered to her, but less looks were pointed her way as a result. Pulling a cart out from the line within the store, she started her way down the aisles. Without a list, Cinder just put whatever sounded alright in the cart and kept walking. She had collected milk, juice, apples, oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, spaghetti, among other randomly selected items and was about to reach up for a box of cereal when someone else's hand shot out and knocked the box away from her.

"Excuse me that was ru─" Cinder cut herself short when she turned to see who had done it. Beside her stood a tall boy with stark white hair and a mischievous grin. "Really, Jack?" she whispered, realizing others wouldn't see him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jack feigned apology with a conspicuous smile, "was that cereal yours?"

"Funny," Cinder huffed as she bent down and picked up the box, dropping it in the cart. She pushed onward, ignoring the winter spirit behind her. His presence felt truly cold to Cinder, and it spooked her. Jack had no reason to be here, but she wasn't about to ask. Last night still left an odd feeling in the back of her mind and she didn't want to deal with it yet.

"Aw," Jack said behind her, "are you going to give me the silent treatment? I had another question that I didn't get to ask you last night."

Cinder still didn't talk, but not because she was trying to ignore him now. A weight fell in her chest and goose bumps were spreading from her neck down to her toes, raising hairs on end. Her eyes darted around, searching for what had set her off. Not finding it, Cinder realized that she was losing her balance. The floor suddenly appeared closer than the shelf sign she had been looking at moments before. Something cinched around her waist and Cinder lurched, heaving her chest in shock. Another second flew by and she was sitting on the ground, her back thudding against a wall of canned green beans.

"Are you okay, Cinder?" Jack sounded worried. "You just sort of, fell... Cinder?"

But Cinder couldn't respond. The edges of her vision were going black and she was afraid she was going to pass out. Scratching the floor in an attempt to hold onto something, she began to hyperventilate. The fear climbed higher and higher and she was dimly aware of the white-haired boy trying to shake an answer out of her.

"Cinder, do you want me to get you help? Cinder? Answer me!"

"Get... away from... me," Cinder managed to get the words to tumble out of her mouth. The panic was making her skin itch and crawl, and she knew Pitch was trying to contact her. But there was no way for her to talk to him here, especially not with Jack right next to her.

"What?"

"Go!" Cinder yelled rather loudly and pushed Jack's chest with brute force, knocking him back. People started to look down the aisle to see a redhead sitting against the shelf talking to no one but herself. "Damn it, leave me alone!" She got up and ran out of the store, paying no mind to the many people turning their heads in her direction.

Once she got outside, the brisk air was almost welcoming. Cinder ran around to the back of the building and tripped over a rock, landing in the alley between two buildings. Scrambling to lean against the side of the store, Cinder's stomach tumbled and heaved with the intense emotions that washed over her.

"Alright, Pitch," Cinder spat out, "talk to me, already."

"Afternoon, sunshine," Pitch's voice rang out ironically.

"I hate you," Cinder breathed heavily. Every call was like this, and Cinder wished he would just use a simple "hello" rather than giving her a heart attack every time.

"Why, my feelings are rather hurt," Pitch sounded offended, "I thought you'd have answered sooner, so I figured you weren't getting the message and tried a little harder."

"Don't waste your energy like that," Cinder had cleared her mind some, "I was in the store."

"They have you running their errands, now?" the amusement purred in his voice.

"What was it you wanted, Pitch? Another job?" Cinder did not want to deal with his roundabout way of communication much longer.

"I'm touched by your show of affection," Pitch laughed, "but I'm afraid you won't get to burn anything down today."

"That's unfortunate," Cinder sighed. She actually felt like she could use some more practice. "What's the deal with calling me, then?"

"I need you to meet me somewhere," Pitch said nonchalantly, but Cinder picked up on the message.

"You broke out? You're free? Pitch, where are you?" Cinder was excited. She had questions for him that she could now disclose in person.

"Calm down, fire breath," he stopped her, "I'll tell you. But first and foremost, make sure that no one follows you."

That's when Cinder realized that she had to meet with him as the kids were getting home from school. She still had to buy the food she was supposed to be getting now, and she had left Jack in the store. Panicking again, she prayed that Jack wouldn't find her like this.

Pitch relayed the information and dismissed Cinder as someone tapped her shoulder. Turning, she saw an old woman holding several bags of groceries.

"Young lady, are you alright? I saw you leaving the store in a hurry and left your cart. I took the liberty of getting them for you," she set them down feebly and with great effort. Her wrinkled features were smiling with concern. "You don't have to repay me. I'm just making sure you're alright. Do you want any help, dear?"

"No, thank you," Cinder was mystified. How did the woman find her? "I'm sorry about causing so much worry. Uh, thank you for this. Are you sure you don't want payment? There was a lot of food in the cart..."

"No, no, dear," the old woman waved Cinder's apology away, "just see to it that you get home safely."

Cinder hesitantly nodded and took the bags. Why were the old people here so nice to her? Ever since the incident with the Walkers, Cinder had been welcomed by practically every old person that met her. It was strange and Cinder didn't know what to make of it. The old woman walked away and left Cinder to ponder the events that had just transpired. She must have looked like a crazy schizophrenic in the store. If she ever had to go shopping again, she swore that this store would not be on her list.

"Hey, there you are!" Jack flew in beside her. "Are you okay? Are you going to tell me what happened back there?"

"I'm sorry. That happens sometimes. The panic attacks, I mean. It's sort of a long story," Cinder fumbled over her excuses in the hopes that Jack would shrug it off.

Jack raised an eyebrow and leaned in close. "Are you sure you're not just crazy? I mean..." he looked around cautiously, "you see spirits," he added as he chuckled.

Cinder elbowed him in the ribs. "That's what you get for scaring me."

"I scared you?" Jack held his side where Cinder hit him. "How?"

"Shut up," Cinder readjusted her grip on the bags and headed back to the house.

"Hey, hey," Jack floated next to her, "I'm sorry if I did all of that. I didn't mean to; just a little fun is all."

"I'm laughing so hard right now," Cinder remarked sarcastically.

Jack rolled his eyes and followed her in silence. "How's your arm?"

Cinder's throat dried up and she had to force herself to remember the other night. When Jack and she had touched hands, their powers seemed to have had adverse effects on the other. Jack froze her arm and Cinder burned his. But Jack hadn't questioned the reason for that, seeing as he had no idea she was also a spirit. But Cinder realized that the subject had to pop up again at some point. "It's fine, a little numb, but usable. Yours?"

"It's healing," Jack answered absently, "but it'll need another ice pack."

Cinder nodded. They walked in deafening silence. She made sure that each step she took was heavier than her usual step. She was supposed to be a human carrying heavy bags, not an airy, feathery-light spirit. Jack maintained his light steps beside her, hardly making a noise. Little fractals of ice swirled around each time his feet left the ground. The snow that seemed to just appear around him flurried around, but noticeably away from her. Cinder wondered if Jack was catching on to her, but decided not to think much about it. If she acted like he was on to her, surely he might pick up the hint? The air between them was... different. Tense and awkward, it felt like static could have electrified them if either spoke out too soon. They walked in this fashion until they were just a block away from the house.

"Hey, Cinder?"

That's when Cinder remembered that she had to meet Pitch immediately and cut Jack off. "Jack! Can you watch the kids for a little while after they come back from school? I have some business to attend to."

Jack looked at her in bewilderment. "What?"

"Pleeeaaaase," Cinder drew out the world in the most innocent sounding voice she could gather. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I do need to get back to the Guardians soon. You realize that, right?"

"Bring me to them and I'll explain everything if I have to," Cinder was urgent.

"Okay, relax. You don't need to go that far," Jack placated her.

"Well, you don't really want to go back just yet, do you?" Cinder raised an eyebrow quizzically.

Jack looked away and shook his head reluctantly. "I'm still looking for answers, though, and doing your job doesn't exactly help me."

"Then I'll do just that after I get back. Just could you please watch them?" They were walking up to the house now.

"No problem," Jack held open the door for her, "just don't collapse again. I can't catch you if I'm here with the kids."

"Thanks," Cinder muttered as she set down the groceries on the counter and began putting them away. "Just don't destroy the house."

"Can't promise that one," Jack winked and grinned.

Cinder smirked, but headed back to the door before she said something else. "I'll be back soon!"

Closing the door with more force than she anticipated, Cinder ran down the walkway and toward the pond. Sliding down the slushy hill, she regretted not putting on different shoes. Not that she had a second pair of shoes, but she had already taken a skirt and leggings from their mother so shoes wouldn't have been a huge deal. Her feet were soaked by the time she reached the edge of the pond. Sending internal flames downward, she dried her shoes and was about to jump across the pond when a thought occurred. It was bright daylight and if anyone saw her clear the pond in one bound, issues might arise. Not sensing a soul, she took the chance and leapt anyway. She landed on the cliff that hung over the back edge of the pond and began running again.

_There will be a clearing a little ways further in the forest, just past the pond in Burgess. _Pitch had been about to explain to her where Burgess was when she spoke up, saying that Burgess was where she was working currently. Pitch's voice seemed intrigued and puzzled at the same time, but Cinder knew he wasn't going to question her about it just yet. He would probably ask when she got to him.

It was going to be the first time in four years that she would see Pitch. Apprehension crawled through her and Cinder wasn't sure what she expected. He wouldn't have changed significantly; spirits don't change easily or willingly. But she had questions for him: questions about her past, questions about the Guardians, and questions about Pitch's plans, both previous and current. Similarly, Pitch would question her endlessly about what she had been doing, and she was worried that Jack would turn up as a subject. Whatever happened before, she needed to know everything. Pitch may not be the kindest, but he raised Cinder and taught her everything she knew. There was a sense of obligation that tugged at her heart, and it tore her in several different directions.

Reaching the crest of a small hill, Cinder leaned against a small birch tree and took a breath. Just down the hill, the trees cleared away and broken boards were scattered among the dead grass and mud and snow. But what puzzled Cinder more was the gaping hole in the center, devoid of light. It looked out of place, and Cinder walked over cautiously to get a better look. Pitch had said nothing about a large hole in the ground, so she figured it must be a new thing. But it was too big for any animal to dig up, and it looked like it went on forever. Leaning in a little closer, the ground crumbled beneath her and her yelp echoed around her as she was sucked down the hole that went on forever.

Suddenly the walls that surrounded Cinder disappeared. She was in a wide, dark cavern that was etched out within the earth. Tumbling and falling awkwardly, she sat up and brushed the dirt off her skirt. Mrs. Bennett would be furious if Cinder didn't clean that out before she got home. Her eyes were still getting used to the darkness and she couldn't see much beyond her fingertips. When her eyes adjusted, Cinder saw that she was actually standing on a bridge between two sides of the cavern and that the real depth went much, much farther down below. Thankful that she didn't have to feel the panic of falling any longer than she already had, she let out a relieved sigh.

Shadows flew past her and her heart stopped briefly. Recovering, she ran to one end of the bridge and slimmed herself against the wall, trying to steady her rapidly beating heart. When she felt she was calm and collected, she peered to the left, not seeing anything worth noting. She was about to check her right when someone whispered words in her ear.

"It's nice to see you again, my dear Cinder."

"Pitch!" Cinder circled around on her heel. The dark spirit was just as she remembered him. Ashen skin covered his sullen facial features and hands. His black robe faded into the floor, making distinct definition of his legs impossible to discern. His yellow eyes glowed in the dark and revealed warmth for the briefest of moments. Immediately, however, it was replaced with the familiar cold, calculating gaze. Without thinking, Cinder wrapped her arms around him suddenly. "Oh, Pitch! You're alright!"

Pitch patted Cinder's back and pushed her back awkwardly. It had been years since she'd shown such gratitude for his well-being. "Yes, that last job of yours went well, I can assume?" Pitch raised an eyebrow, brushing dirt off his sleeves.

Cinder choked down her thoughts of Jack and tried to muffle the skipped heartbeat that thudded in her chest. If Pitch was given the slightest evidence that she was lying, she would never see the end of it. "It went well, sir."

"Ah, excellent!" Pitch snapped his fingers and began walking back over the bridge. "Let's get going, I'll tell you what I need you to do on the way."

"Actually," Cinder bit her lip and stood stock still, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?" Pitch turned around and looked at her questioningly.

Cinder cleared her throat so that she could speak with conviction. There had to be a way to circle around to the question she really wanted to ask. "I was just wondering if I..." she lost her voice suddenly, "... if I was ever human."

Pitch stared at her incredulously before composing himself again. "Of course, we all were. Why bother with a question like that? I've a plan to be executing. Now come along."

But Cinder wasn't finished. "Then why don't I remember any of it?"

Pitch growled in frustration but tried not to let it show. "Memories are a silly thing."

"Silly or not, I don't have them," Cinder prepared herself for the next part, "and I want them back."

Pitch pursed his lips and looked away in mock thought. "And what makes you think that I have them?"

Cinder paused, unsure of how to proceed. "Wasn't that what the teeth were for? That time I helped you invade the Tooth Palace was so that you could gather all of the children's memories, right?"

"Yes, yes," Pitch was getting bored, "but I never looked through any of them. I never bothered because there were so many of the brats."

Cinder's countenance fell and her stomach felt ill. Pitch's plan for the teeth must have failed, in that case. Then she realized that all she had to do was go to the Tooth Fairy. Hopefully she didn't recognize Cinder. She was couldn't be sure that she hadn't been seen four years ago. Cinder couldn't distinctly remember that mission, but she had a familiarity within her that told her she had done it.

"I wouldn't bother with them if I were you," Pitch spoke as if reading her mind.

"Why not?"

"Memories of being human are useless for those like us." Pitch was beside Cinder suddenly, his arm snug around her shoulders. "All they contain are mundane pieces of information that help no one."

Cinder was about to protest when Pitch looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Now, do you mind telling me why you're in Burgess?" It looked like he already knew the answer.

Cinder was expecting this question, and proceeded with caution. "I told you, it's where I took up my house-sitting job."

Pitch nodded, deep in skeptical thought. "And how is that going? They seem to be working you to death," he chuckled.

"Well, it would have been fine if the mother hadn't left me with the kids, but other than that, it isn't horrendous."

Pitch's interest piqued, albeit weakly. "And do tell me, what are their names? Perhaps they will be the first I visit."

Cinder's brows furrowed. She didn't like the way she had been thrown into the job, either, but she didn't think that the kids were at fault. They didn't deserve the kind of panic and fear that Pitch could induce. Nevertheless, she was compelled by some force to answer the Nightmare King. "Jamie and Sophie Bennett, sir."

At the mention of Jamie, Pitch hissed before he could stop himself. "Have you... _seen_ anyone hanging around them?"

Cinder wasn't sure, but she guessed that Pitch was referring to Jack Frost. Whatever aversion he had to the winter spirit, it was powerful. Cinder could feel the atmosphere growing heavier and a headache settled into her head. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and Cinder began to wheeze. Pitch looked down at her hand and saw her ring glowing, sneering in disgust.

"Never mind, let's go," Pitch said and the panic lifted. But before Cinder could react, Pitch had left, probably for the surface. Cinder cursed under her breath and began to climb her way out of the cavern. Flight was useless when all she was going to do was smack into every wall on the way up. Her mind was already jogged enough, and she figured Pitch would go off and do his own thing.

That's when Cinder realized she forgot an important question: what happens to her contract now? She'd have to wait for him to summon her again, and she groaned with the realization that at least one more panic attack was set firmly in her future.

At least she'd be home before the kids came back from school.

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><p><strong>AN: Guys! Guys! GUUUYYYSSS! I've written the first chapter to another story! :D But I have a question for you: should the story become the sequel to this one or should it become a separate stand-alone story? I've written it so that it could be mapped out either way. Please let me know what you think!**

**Also a quick reminder: This Friday's posting is going to be late because I'm driving 6 hours home from campus! I can't post in the morning because of an exam. It may just be posted on Saturday instead. We'll see!**

**And as always, please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	12. Fun and Games

**Chapter 12** - _Fun and Games_

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><p>Jack figured that even if he wasn't speaking to the other Guardians, he should still do his job. He could cover a few states in the meantime before he had to be back at Jamie's house. Cinder had asked him to watch Jamie and Sophie while she went out and did something, Jack didn't know what. He was curious and tempted to follow her when he saw Cinder running like a madman out of the house. But he was the spirit of winter and it was the month of January. Jack knew some snow would fall on its own, but he had to help it occasionally. Now would be the best time. It would keep him busy physically and mentally, which was perfect.<p>

Jack was on his way back now when something whizzed by his face as super speed. Bright colors flew around his body momentarily when he stopped. When it slowed, Jack saw an energetic and frantic Baby Tooth fussing over every inch. She squealed and chirped in a rapid succession of messages.

"I'm fine, Baby Tooth," Jack smiled, knowing how much the tooth fairies cared, "and everything's okay. I'm just taking some time away from them."

Baby Tooth piped up disapprovingly.

"I know, I know," Jack sighed, "I just want to give places some snow before I go back. That's my job, you know."

Baby Tooth softened and snuggled under his chin understandingly, but recovered and shook her finger at him.

"I promise I will, okay?" Jack put his hand up on his honor. "Can you tell Tooth I'm sorry? I know she was especially upset. Oh! And can you bring something to Tooth for me?"

Baby Tooth nodded gravely because she knew Tooth was particularly distraught by Jack's leaving. Then she brightened up, gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek, and asked what it was he was giving to Tooth.

"I don't have it on me, but if you go to the pond in Burgess, it's in a little pocket on the cliff. Tell Tooth it's an apology."

Baby Tooth rolled her eyes, as if to say "yeah, okay."

Jack smirked as he watched the tiny fairy go with a nod. He knew his message would get back to Tooth in little time. If she wasn't always busy, Jack knew that Tooth would probably drag him back to the North Pole herself. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about there being a shortage of newly lost teeth anytime soon.

Taking a deep breath, Jack called to the wind and rode away to Burgess. The wind beat at his face and flew his hair about in haphazard swirls of brisk excitement. The cold shot through his heart and spread to his fingertips in the most familiar way. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to fall face-down toward the ground. The feeling of his stomach lifting as the sensation of falling blew past him was thrilling. Getting close to the pond's surface, he flipped over so his feet touched the ice and fractals splayed across the reflected blues. Laughing breathlessly to himself, he set off for Jamie's house, just up the hill.

Upon reaching the house, Jack debated where to enter from. He had only ever used Jamie's window. Or Cinder's window like last night, but that was just once. He was still thoroughly confused about what Cinder thought of him, whether they were friends or not. One minute, she trusted him, the next she yelled at him. They played a game, and then she pushed him backwards and ran away. Now she's asked him to watch the kids while she did Man-in-the-Moon-only-knows what. If he was going to befriend her, he had to figure out why she acted so hypocritical.

Deciding on the front door, Jack walked up and found it unlocked. He let himself in and set his staff next to the forlorn pile of shoes that lay on a mat nearby. He peered at the clock in the kitchen and saw that he was a little early. The kids wouldn't be back for a few more minutes, so Jack helped himself to walking around, figuring out the best way to surprise them. Perhaps he could cover everything in ice? But that was too obvious. He was in the middle of formulating another plan when someone's voice made him jump.

"I got back early," Jack spun around to see Cinder in the doorway, still wearing the green skirt from earlier, but now Jack saw that it was muddied and caked with dirt. "So you don't have to watch the kids."

"That was pretty quick," Jack commented. "What happened to you?"

Cinder furrowed her brows but then looked down at the state of her clothing. "Oh, that. I slipped and fell on my way..."

"On your way where?" Jack asked when Cinder didn't finish her sentence.

"Separate job interview, but oh, that won't matter if their mother tries to kill me," Cinder tried to wipe some of the dirt away.

"Wait, you stole their mom's skirt?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"I need to do laundry, so I don't really have anything else to wear."

"Sounds like you need more clothes."

"Says the guy who's worn the same outfit since I've met him," Cinder's eyebrow arched at him, accompanied by a smirk.

Jack shrugged. She got him on that one. At that moment, Sophie burst through the door waving a bunch of colored paper around, losing a few scattered pieces.

"Cinder! Cinder─" Sophie stopped in her tracks when she saw Jack. "Jack! What are you doing here?"

Jack was about to answer when Sophie ran up and hugged Cinder around the hips. "Cinder, do you wanna see my homework? I got to do art! Do you wanna see it? You can help, too!" Sophie was a bouncy ball of energy and Cinder nearly toppled over from the contact. Jack looked on the scene with humorous affection. Cinder looked so uncomfortable with Sophie clinging to her, but Sophie was oblivious and only asked more questions.

Cinder pet Sophie's head and said that she would help in a minute. After Sophie ran into the living room to set up the paper and glue and scissors, Jamie walked into the house without saying a word.

"Hey there, kiddo," Jack waved, but then saw that something was off. "Hey, what's got you upset?"

"Hey, Jack," Jamie said dejectedly as he kicked off his shoes and walked past both of them and up the stairs.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you?" Cinder called from the bottom of the stairwell.

"Why would I tell you?" Jamie called back louder before shutting his door.

Cinder put her hands on her hips and turned to Jack with a frustrated look. Picking up on the cue, Jack told her that he would go and see what was wrong with the kid. She mouthed a thank-you and walked into the living room. Jack heard her voice cheer up as she asked Sophie what she was working on, and Jack smiled secretly. Cinder cared, maybe she didn't know it yet, but she cared about these kids.

Walking up to Jamie's room, Jack knocked on the door.

"Go away!" came Jamie's angry voice.

"It's Jack," the spirit called through the crack in the door, "can I come in?"

The scraping of a chair and a few footsteps later, Jamie opened the door solemnly. "Sorry, Jack. Come in," Jamie walked back to his desk and sat down. He was glaring at what looked like homework without picking up the nearby pencil.

"So what's got you so down, Jamie?" Jack said finally after sitting on the teenager's bed and waiting for a response.

"It's Pippa," Jamie said finally, looking over his shoulder at Jack, "she won't answer me."

Jack waved Jamie to continue after a pause.

"She got mad at me for not studying with her," Jamie explained, "I mean, come on, we just got back to school yesterday. Who studies on the second day after vacation?"

Jack laughed and shrugged. "Pippa does, apparently."

"Anyway, I told her there was no reason and she said that she had no one else to work with and that I was the only one that she thought would help. I told her to just study alone and she got all mad and won't talk to me now."

"I'm sure she's just upset you turned her down again," Jack reasoned, a smile flickering on his lips.

"I didn't turn her down, what are you talking ab─" Jamie stopped when he saw Jack thrown back on his bed, laughing loudly. "What's so funny, Jack?"

"Nothing," Jack said as he wiped a tear from his eye. This kid was so naive and oblivious, even though he was already fourteen. Jack was sure that even he was not that bad at fourteen. But when he tried to recall any examples, his mind blanked. "Anyway, come out of your room, I'll get the pond ready and we can play a few games."

"I can't, I've gotta do this homework," Jamie declined.

"What?" Jack almost didn't believe it. Jamie wanted to do homework instead of have fun with Jack Frost? "Are you really turning down a good snowball fight?"

"There's a lot of it," Jamie justified his reasons.

"Well, maybe you should've done your work with Pippa and then you wouldn't have this problem," Jack pointed out.

Jamie tossed a crumbled piece of paper at Jack and laughed. "Get out, Frost," he joked heartily.

Jack took his leave and went back downstairs to the living room to see what damage Sophie had done to the poor Cinder. Upon turning into the doorway, he hung back to watch the event unfolding. Sophie had pieces of colored paper stuck to her arms and glue sticks were strewn around the room with and without caps. On the table rested a variety of purples, pinks, and oranges cut into random shapes and glued together sloppily. Cinder was leaning forward, completely focused on drawing whatever it was on blue paper before going to cut it. She was so focused that she didn't notice Sophie gluing an orange cutout to her nose. Cinder's body jumped in shock, which sent Sophie into giggles. Cinder smiled and laughed back, which Jack thought was incredibly different from the Cinder he had been talking to within the past day or two. Without knowing it, Jack was smiling too and let out a small laugh.

Cinder whipped her head around, the orange paper still stuck to her nose. She tried to give him a grumpy look, but Jack couldn't take her seriously and laughed more. Cinder realized what Jack was laughing at and tore off the piece of paper, tossing it angrily even though it only floated a few inches from her fingertips. Jack laughed again, holding his stomach. A Cinder trying to be serious was a Cinder being hilarious. He thought he was going to be alone in his laughter, but Sophie chuckled and finally Cinder let herself laugh, too.

"So, what was the teenager's issue?" Cinder stood up, leaving Sophie to her own creative devices.

"Girl troubles," Jack explained, "and he's completely clueless. You might have to be the one to talk to him about it."

Cinder huffed laughter. "I wouldn't be any more useful than you," she murmured. "Well, are you going to head back to the Guardians, then?"

Jack held in his breath. He didn't really want to see the Guardians just yet. It had only been a day or so, and Jack didn't feel like that was enough time to let the tension settle down. "Ah... how about we go ice skating instead?"

A look of worry fell over Cinder's features. "I don't know. It's been getting warmer recently. I don't think a certain spirit has been doing his job," she gestured without discretion at Jack.

Jack put his hands up defensively. "I can go freeze it again if that makes you feel safer." Turning to Sophie, he asked, "Do you want to go skating, too, Sophie?"

"Yeah!" Sophie jumped up and ran for her room.

Cinder's face was in shock. "Really, Jack? You're going to make me go, aren't you?"

"That might have been the plan," Jack gave her a lopsided smile.

"Gee, thanks," Cinder rolled her eyes. "I don't even have any skates, Jack."

"You can borrow Jamie's!" Sophie's voice echoed from the top of the stairs. Cinder ran past Jack and he turned to see Sophie holding two pairs of skates and delight written all over her face. Jack looked back at Cinder and saw her skeptical features worsen.

"Relax, the kid has big feet," Jack said.

A faint retort sounded off from the direction of Jamie's room, which made the other three laugh again.

"We'll be back soon, or join us when you're done!" Cinder called as they set out the door.

Jack stopped Cinder, almost touching her bare shoulder. "Weren't you wearing a sweater? And leggings or something?"

"Nice of you to take notice," Cinder batted her eyelashes and grabbed her sweater off the counter.

Jack felt his face reddening suddenly. He didn't mean to comment on Cinder's body, but that was the way she took it and Jack was embarrassed. He was standing still in the doorway until he saw Cinder turn her head toward him and laugh. It was then he found out she was joking again and he grabbed his staff and ran to catch up to her, elbowing her gently. She shrugged him off and that's when he saw it again: the black scar. It was barely visible, but he swore it was there. Last night wasn't just a trick of the light.

Hopping over the hill, Jack landed on the ice without any recognition of weight bearing down on the surface. Turning around in a slow circle, Jack tapped his staff onto the ice several times and sent ice patterns swirling around him, making the ice thicker. He looked to Sophie and Cinder to see that the former already had her skates on and the latter was staring at Jack in wonder. It was nearly the same look she had given him the previous night when he made it snow in the kitchen. Her face looked peaceful and amazed for once, seeing as her usual face was either neutral or sneering, as far as Jack was concerned. That was when he knew making her smile was a great game that he liked to win.

But then her features became quizzical. "Jack, I don't know about this," she said as Sophie headed out toward Jack. Jack took her and spun her a few times before letting her go skate on her own.

"Just hop on, the ice won't melt," Jack answered back, "at least, not while I'm around."

Cinder rolled her eyes and Jack wasn't quite sure why. He saw her take a deep breath and step onto the pond with a tentative skate. Her second skate touched the ice and she looked up at Jack in surprise. It reminded him of the time he taught his sister to ice skate all those years ago. Smiling, he began to slide over to her on his bare feet.

That's when Cinder's feet fell through. A scared yelp escaped her lips before Jack caught her under her arms with his sleeves over his hands just in case. He didn't want to put her in more shock. His own thoughts were in a similar state because the scene unfolding before him was incessantly familiar, and not in the right way. An incredible heat surrounded Cinder, but Jack was preoccupied and didn't take notice. Her chest heaved underneath him as he pulled her out and set her back on the ice. She scrambled away from him and fell over a rock and hit the side of the hill. Jack stared at her in confusion and looked back at where Cinder fell. The ice had melted through, much to Jack's surprise. _How did this happen?_ Jack looked back at Cinder and narrowed his brows. Cinder's eyes were wild with fear and it didn't look like she was breathing.

"Hey," Jack knelt down by her side, "it's alright. It's not your fault."

Cinder's eyes bore into him with faint recognition. She slowly nodded, and Jack was unsure whether she meant that it was her fault or that she agreed with him that it wasn't. Jack decided that it was the latter and offered a hand to her.

Thankfully, Cinder had her gloves on and took his hand absent-mindedly. He saw that Cinder had discarded the sweater on a nearby rock. _She won't wear her sweater but she'll wear her gloves?_ Jack decided to take the gesture as a compliment, since he was the one who gave her those gloves, and helped her stand up. Freezing the ice over again, he tried to guide her back onto the pond. Her hand went with his, but the rest of her did not budge. He turned back to her and gave her a questioning look.

"I don't think I should go back on the ice," she said nervously, "I seem to have bad luck."

"Nonsense," Jack waved off her comment. "Everybody needs to have a little fun! Come on, Sophie's waiting for you."

Cinder looked past Jack and he could tell she was watching Sophie because her features became softer the longer she looked. "Alright," Cinder finally acquiesced, "I'll do it."

Jack saw Cinder suck in a long breath and hold it in as she took her first two steps back onto the ice. Her balance took a second, but then she was standing straight. Jack noticed he was still holding her hand to steady her and let go carefully, hoping she hadn't noticed it. A large amount of heat left his palm and it froze once again. Jack furrowed his brow at the sudden temperature change but decided to neglect it and glide forward.

"Can you make it here?" Jack asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"I'm not that bad," Cinder kicked off and raced for him. Just as she was about to catch him, Jack smirked and darted away toward Sophie, who was on the other side of the pond. He heard Cinder's frustrated growl behind him and he laughed. Turning toward Cinder and running backward, he conjured a small snowball and tossed it in her direction. It landed square in her face and Cinder fumed. Jack laughed and was about to turn back when out of the corner of his eye he swore he saw his snow melting instantaneously, making Cinder's face soaked. Jack thought it was weird but shrugged it off for the moment.

Jack turned his attention to Sophie and saw that she was heading straight for him. He stopped and scooped her up in the air, spinning her before setting her back on the track she was on before, this time straight for Cinder. Just as Jack saw Cinder's face register the change in events, Cinder deftly spun on the tips of her skates to avoid collision and as she was recovering, she shot out her hand and gripped Sophie's arm, swinging her around in a pattern that was more intricate and difficult than necessary. Jack's jaw dropped.

"I thought you were a beginner," Jack said. He was not quite sure if he had witnessed things right.

"I guess I'm not," Cinder laughed as she finished spinning and let go of Sophie, who was giggling.

"What do you mean, you guess? No one's that good on their first try. Not even on hockey skates," Jack pointed out. Figure skates would have made that tight spin possible, but not Jamie's old hockey skates.

Cinder looked down at her feet and frowned. "I don't know, it was fun though," she smiled and took off again. Jack watched as Cinder began spinning again without a hint of falling or losing her balance. She then tried jumping, spinning on one leg, and other random tricks that Jack figured she made up on the spot. Cinder's skirt flowed and twisted and lifted with every move she slid through effortlessly. Her hair flowed freely and whipped around her face and neck and arms in a bright orange blur. The gracefulness with which Cinder spun entranced Jack. It was an achingly familiar dance that racked his brain, trying to make him remember. Nothing came to mind, but he still stared after her in amazement.

Catching himself off guard, Jack recovered by bringing Sophie closer. Whispering in her ear, Sophie's grin widened devilishly. She nodded excitedly and held out her hands. Jack made some snowballs and set them in her hands. Jack made some snowballs for himself and hid behind a rock on one side of the pond. He waited until Cinder was closer and sent the signal. "Now!"

Cinder whipped her head toward Jack as Sophie sent three snowballs in succession at Cinder's back. Cinder yelped in surprise and spun toward Sophie who screamed and skated away as fast as she could. Jack took his chance and flew up next to Cinder who was focused blindly on Sophie. Holding a snowball in front of her face, Jack stopped abruptly, thinking that she would smack right into the snow and they would all laugh. Instead, Cinder scraped the ice and spun around Jack, clothes-lining him and driving the air out of his stomach. Jack smirked and spun around her, slapping a snowball at the back of her neck and watching it melt down her shirt. Cinder's shriek sent him into a laughing fit. They both fell onto the ice.

Sophie saw the entire thing unfold and skated over to them. "That was so cool! Do it again! Do it again!" she screeched as she fell over Cinder's legs.

Jack saw Cinder's face harden for a moment and then relax as she hoisted Sophie back on her feet. "I don't much appreciate ice sliding down my back; maybe another time, Sophie."

Sophie let out a disappointed sigh and sat back down, lying in between Jack and Cinder. Jack smirked and looked in Cinder's direction again. He noticed that she was holding her breath and making a visible effort, but for what Jack had no clue. Maybe it had something to do with the scar. Perhaps she had surgery earlier in life or something else traumatic and it made breathing harder for her. He was about to ask when a flash of blinding light made him wince. He knew instantly what it was.

One of the Guardians had used a globe to come and retrieve him. _So much for having fun,_ Jack frowned.

"You thought now was a good time?" Jack stood up. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sophie and Cinder also stand.

"We need ya back at the North Pole, mate," a familiar Australian accent responded. The intense light subsided and Bunny stood with his arms crossed, tapping the ice impatiently.

"Easter Bunny! Easter Bunny!" Sophie scrambled toward the giant rabbit, hugging his thigh tightly.

"Ankle-biter!" Bunny rubbed Sophie's head in recognition. "Gee, it's been awhile, ay mate? You've gotten tallah." Ignoring Cinder, Bunny turned toward Jack again, "Come on Jack, this is important."

Before Jack could say or do anything, Cinder's voice piped up. "What the hell are you?" Jack saw Cinder skate right up to Bunny without flinching, even though Bunny was easily taller than her.

Bunny looked flabbergasted. "She can see me? Frost, who's the sheila?"

"Why don't you ask the 'sheila' instead of Jack, you giant kangaroo?" Cinder's annoyance was noticeable.

Jack let out a snort, trying and failing to hide the laughter.

"I am _not_ a kangaroo, mate," Bunny poked her. "I am the Easter Bunny. Did you tell her to say that, Jack?"

Cinder visibly gulped but rolled her eyes to try and cover up the reaction. "Yeah, I figured. But what's the Easter Bunny doing at the North Pole?"

Bunny stared at a hysterical Jack in confusion. "What the bloody hell is going on here, Jack? Who is she?"

"Again, I'm right here! The name's Cinder," she held out her hand and Jack laughed again as Bunny hesitantly took it.

"Pleasure," Bunny bowed his head quickly and took his hand away, shaking it gingerly. "Jack, we don't have time. Ya need to get up to the North Pole _now_."

"What's going on, Bunny?" Jack asked, not moving an inch.

Bunny looked at Sophie and then nodded to Cinder, who took the hint and covered Sophie's ears. Sophie tried to get away fitfully, but it wasn't working.

"Pitch is back," Bunny said at last, "and he's given us a message."

Jack gripped his staff tightly and grimaced. He knew he had wasted time here instead of continuing his search, and now he berated himself for not being useful. The fire guy had succeeded and Pitch had enough fear to regain his strength and the Guardians were still his target.

Jack was about to tell Cinder to take Sophie and run home, but then he saw Cinder's face. Her eyes were wide and her features were pale and sickly. Jack thought she was going to fall again and held out his staff to catch her when she knocked it away. Her lips were quivering and Jack could tell that the news meant something to her. He had told Cinder about Pitch and what he had done before, but Jack had no idea it had this effect on her. She looked terrified.

"Cinder," Jack walked up to her carefully, "take Sophie home, please. And tell Jamie─"

"I know what to do," Cinder snapped at his face, "don't try and boss me."

Jack saw Bunny's eyebrows rise in surprise and a smile began to curl. Jack would have to hit him with a snowball later. At the present, he nodded and Cinder slid past him, hitting him with her shoulder harder than he had anticipated. Jack glared at the back of her head in a flare of anger. _What's the matter with her? She was smiling just a second ago._ As he finished the thought, he noticed a blue-green light flicker from Cinder's left hand. She had taken off her gloves when confronting Bunny and now Jack saw a ring reflecting light around her small finger. Something about it was numbingly familiar, but Jack couldn't figure it out.

"What's with the red-hot, angry sheila?" Bunny pointed a digit toward the redhead.

"I don't know," Jack said finally, still staring after her, "I don't think she's usually like that."

"That's what they all say," Bunny was already taking out another globe and tossing it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack spun himself to face Bunny.

"North Pole," Bunny said, ignoring Jack's question. "Let's get going, mate."

Jack rolled his eyes and walked through the portal. Lights flew by them and the globe hall at the North Pole flew in front of him as he took a step out. The other Guardians were already there but they took no notice of Jack and Bunny as they joined. Jack was about to speak up when Tooth glanced at him worriedly. Jack noticed that she was wearing the pendant that Jack had asked Baby Tooth to retrieve for him. It made him smile briefly before he noticed her expression. She shook her head and pointed toward the globe, tears glistening in her eyes.

Jack narrowed his eyes and looked at the globe. At first, he didn't see what was wrong. Many lights were still shining brightly and twinkling with belief. Jack walked his way in between Sandy and North, slimming himself so that he didn't disturb their gazes. Upon closer inspection, Jack's eyes widened in shock.

The words _The Last Light_ were etched in black sand across the globe, and Burgess was circled. Jack's heart sank farther than he thought was possible.

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><p><strong>AN: It's finally VACATION! Well, for me at least. I still have a ton of work to do, but that won't stop the uploading of this story. I've written up to chapter 24-25 and hopefully I'll have it finished before vacation ends. ^_^**

**Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	13. The Last Light

**Chapter 13** - _The Last Light_

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><p><em>That giant, furry kangaroo is the Easter Bunny?<em>

Cinder couldn't believe it even when she saw it. One second they were taking a rest from skating and the next a bright flash of light and a large, fluffy, talking animal started yelling at Jack. What was worse, the damn thing ignored her. She spoke her mind and skated up next to him, realizing at the last moment that he towered over her. Nevertheless, she held her ground and tried to get him to speak to her. For some reason, he just stared at her, flabbergasted. Cinder heard Jack laughing behind her several times, so she figured the Guardians hadn't known of her yet. But once he declared himself as the Easter Bunny, Cinder almost gasped.

Then she remembered the other night, when she was on the job. She had run right into the Easter Bunny before confronting Jack, and they had stared at each other for a full few seconds. Thankfully, it hadn't seemed like he recognized her. That cloak had been useful after all.

Even though letting him see her was one of her least favorite moments, falling through the thick ice earlier ranked closely. She had that sinking feeling in her stomach that skating was going to be a bad idea, but Jack had insisted and gotten Sophie excited. Cinder had really hoped she could have gotten out of it, but Sophie had already grabbed a pair of skates for her. She decided to swallow her fears and try it. What was the worst that could happen? She could melt the ice by accident, that's what could happen. Cinder watched Jack freeze over the pond an extra time, and as beautiful as the ice looked, she didn't want to go onto it. Something about it made her feel apprehensive, and it distracted her from concealing her heat. It ended up melting straight through Jack's handiwork.

Not only that, but Cinder had also fallen through, and Jack caught her. Thinking back on it, Cinder was angry that she didn't do anything for herself; she didn't want to owe the winter spirit anything. But at the time, Cinder was struck with a panic that made her chest collapse. She couldn't think clearly, and by the time she could, Jack was holding her hand and she was back on the ice. His cold hand engulfed her heated one, and she was immediately glad that she had worn the gloves.

When they had gotten onto the ice, it was like Cinder had done the motions a thousand times before. The blades beneath her glided over the smooth surface and she spun and twirled without thinking about it. She forgot about everything except the balance between her body and the skates. She forgot about Pitch, about the past countless years, and about everything that made her upset. In the middle of one spin, she caught Jack's eye. He was smiling at her, but she could not care less. The way that her loose clothing swung around her made her feel as free as if she were flying in the air. If she wasn't careful, though, she would probably end up flying. And explaining the fact that she was actually a spirit would be a little more than difficult.

Afterward, when Jack and Sophie trapped her, Cinder knew she couldn't stay much longer. But Sophie's face had the brightest smile and she was shouting Cinder's and Jack's names and the fun was intoxicating. It reminded her of Rebecca, the little blond girl that had been her friend all those years ago...

But instead of panic, instead of tears, instead of hatred, Cinder was in relative peace. At least until the kangaroo had shown up. Now she was rushing Sophie back home by her wrist. The little girl protested at first, saying that she wanted to stay with the Easter Bunny, but Cinder was insistent. Pitch had made his move and she and the kids were in danger. If Pitch had already started his second game against the Guardians, who knew when Cinder would have to step in and fight as well. For all that she had been through, and as much as she didn't want relationships with other humans, she couldn't bring herself to put these kids in danger. Besides, if they stayed alive, she got a paycheck. Cinder told herself that was her reason for protecting them, but something deeper lay within her heart that she did not yet know.

As they ran through the door, Cinder bumped into an equally confused Jamie. Cinder muttered an apology and sent Sophie into the living room.

"What's going on? The fun's over already?"

"Uh, yeah," Cinder shut the door behind her. As she did so, she instantly remembered that her sweater was still at the pond. And that had been the only thing keeping her looking normal. "Jack had to go back to the North Pole or whatever."

"The North Pole? Were the Northern Lights shining again?"

"What?" Cinder asked in disbelief. "It's still daylight out, and the Northern Lights don't show up this far south. No, some giant kangaroo that called himself the Easter Bunny showed up and whisked him away. Pretty rude, if you ask me."

"You saw the Easter Bunny, too?" Jamie stared at her, his eyes wide. "What kind of sitter are you?"

Cinder sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wish I knew, kid."

"So why'd the Easter Bunny come to get Jack? You look like you just saw a ghost, so it can't have been good news."

Cinder waved her hand, trying to shake off the concern. "Just some guy ruining their things, I guess. The kangaroo kept saying 'he's back,' so I figured it was the Guardians' business, not mine."

"Pitch is back?" Jamie whispered urgently.

Cinder was taken aback. "How do you know about Pitch?" Why did this kid know all of these people in his short life when Cinder had hardly heard of most of them in hundreds of years?

"I..." Jamie looked back into the living, making sure Sophie was busy, "let's talk somewhere else. Sophie was too young to really remember much and I don't wanna scare her."

"What are you talking about?" Cinder whispered after him as he made his way up the stairs.

"Come into my room, she'll be fine," Jamie waved Cinder forward. He took her up to his room and shut the door carefully. Turning back to her, Jamie let out a long sigh.

Cinder took his desk chair and sat, leaning forward. "Alright, what's going on? Why do you know about Pitch?"

"Has Jack ever mentioned anything about the Guardians?"

"Briefly," Cinder answered.

"What about Pitch's plan to steal the memories and weaken the Guardians?"

"Yes, yes," Cinder was getting the same story over again. She didn't want to hear it a thousand times to understand that nobody really liked Pitch. "So how do you play into this?"

"I'm the Last Light."

Cinder knit her brows and glared at Jamie curiously. What was the Last Light? Then again, Jack never explained how the Guardians had beaten Pitch. She waited for Jamie to continue.

Taking Cinder's silence as permission to elaborate, Jamie went on. "Pitch was beginning to win because many of the children stopped believing. I was close, but Jack came and convinced me that he and the other Guardians were real."

"Well you saw him, so─"

"But that's the thing," Jamie cut back in, "I couldn't. Jack was able to make me see him, though. If it weren't for him, Pitch would have won and the entire world would have been nothing but fear. Then I and some others fought back, causing Pitch to lose his powers and his believers..."

Cinder's eyes grew wide and she stood stock still. Right in front of her was the boy who destroyed Pitch's plans and sent him into imprisonment. Jamie took away Cinder's only anchor to sanity for four long years, but he acted like a hero. Rage boiled underneath her skin, but she swallowed it down with another thought. Pitch had planned on killing the Guardians. He had planned on giving every person in the world horrendous nightmares and panic like she had endured her entire life. While she had grown used to it, since she worked for him, Cinder could not imagine Pitch taking over everything. Sure, he was dark, but Cinder never thought of him from this view. Tears tried to flow over the rims of her eyes, but she blinked them away before Jamie noticed.

Cinder was completely lost. She realized she was allied to the bad guy in the situation, but her longstanding affiliation had blinded her. At the same time, Jamie, Jack, and the other Guardians made her feel incredibly lonely for those four years. Without Pitch, Cinder had no direction. She thought being lifted from the contract would have made her feel free and she could live on her immortal life doing whatever she pleased. But early on, Cinder found that all she ever did was follow Pitch's commands, and there was nothing in the human world that truly held her interest. Her powers hardly worked those four years, and she was left to her own devices. She tried whatever she could think of to make herself feel normal again. She had turned to alcohol and clubbing to receive some sort of thrill. It dimmed her senses, but it was never enough to make her feel like another human. The loud, heart-pumping music took her into its arms and tried to caress her, but Cinder knew that the distractions were only that: distractions. Life wasn't hers to hold dearly.

The Guardians had taken away something important to her. But Pitch had been about to take away the life and wonder from everyone's eyes. Cinder didn't know which side she was on anymore.

"Cinder?" Jamie waved his hands in her face and she snapped to attention, hardly realizing that she had spaced out.

"What?"

"I asked you if Jack said he planned on coming back."

Cinder shook her head. "No, he didn't say anything."

Jamie's worried face wasn't reassuring. "I hope he does, I want to know if I can help."

"Now wait a minute here," Cinder stood up, "I'm supposed to be taking care of you two while your mother is gone for the week. I can't just let you go and fight the Nightmare King and tell your mother, 'oh yes, everything's just fine!' can I?"

"I can handle it, I beat him when I was ten years old," Jamie pointed out, "and I still have Jack with me."

"You really trust him, huh?"

"Yup," Jamie nodded with confidence.

Then another thought crept into Cinder's mind. Jack Frost was the spirit that saved the Guardians. He told her he hadn't been a Guardian at the time, so it made sense that he was admitted into Guardianship (_Was that even how it worked?_ she thought for a moment) afterward. Jack, the boy who nearly exposed her on the job; the boy who froze her arm and made her feel cold for the first time; the boy who was trying to become her friend; was the one responsible for Pitch's defeat. Cinder should despise him, loathe him.

But she didn't. She couldn't. As much as she tried to conjure ill feelings, she knew that Jack had given her hope. He didn't know it, but Cinder was a spirit with lost memories. Thanks to Jack, Cinder began to speculate that she had once been human, too, and that her memories were with the Tooth Fairy. But now Pitch had opened the battlefront, and Cinder understood that her chances of getting her teeth were slimmer than ever.

"Jamie," Cinder began slowly, "I don't even know what happened at the North Pole, but the Guardians will handle it. If Jack deems it necessary to come back, then he will. Until then, we wait." It was not a popular option with Cinder, but she recognized that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She didn't feel like exposing herself just yet.

"But," Jamie stopped himself. "Alright, but if Jack comes back, I'm not hesitating to join him. Maybe he'd want you to join, too."

Cinder's face heated, but she tried not to let it show. "You would think he'd want to keep us safe, you know."

"I saw the way he looked at you," Jamie raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"Like the way he saw you look at that girl? What was her name...?" Cinder smirked.

"Jack told you about Pippa?!"

"Ah, that's who it was?" Cinder stood up, signaling the end of the conversation. "Let's go make dinner."

Jamie protested at first but ultimately followed Cinder downstairs. Knowing that Cinder wouldn't budge on the issue surrounding Pippa, he brought Sophie into the kitchen and all of them worked on making dinner. They ate together, with Sophie talking incessantly about how her art project was going to be the best in her class, especially because Cinder helped. But then her monologue turned from paper and glue to the pond and Cinder's wonderful skating and the Easter Bunny, as if Jamie and Cinder both didn't already know the events. Sophie's younger mind believed it unfair that Cinder would take her away before they could have any fun.

"You know you're only supposed to see him during Easter," Jamie spoke out, causing Sophie to pout.

"But Cinder saw him, too!" Sophie snapped indignantly. "Right, Cinder?"

However, the redhead was paying no attention. She was still deep in thought, and hardly heard Sophie. Muttering some response, the rest of dinner was painfully silent. The rest of the night went by peacefully. Their mother called soon after dinner, during which she said many I-love-you's and I-miss-you's and such verbal degrees of emotional attachments toward her children. Yes, everything was fine. Yes, they're going to school. Yes, do check in again. To Cinder, it was a very boring conversation. When Mrs. Bennett finally hung up, Jamie had retreated into his bedroom, nodding his agreement to Cinder about their deal. Cinder acknowledged him before Sophie pulled Cinder into the living room again. She insisted that they play a game before bedtime.

"Sophie, you can't stay up late all the time." Cinder was exhausted from the day's events. "If you have another bad dream again, I'm not letting you sleep in my room again."

"But Cinder," Sophie whined, "I want to have a tea party!"

_And I want a drink,_ Cinder rolled her eyes. "I'll let you do one round of tea for each member, but that's it. Then it's bedtime."

"Okay!" Sophie chirped as she ran around, setting up the stuffed animals and the plastic tea sets. Then she stopped and looked up at Cinder. "Actually, we're going to play animal doctors."

"What? Sophie..." Cinder plopped down on the couch in front of her. "Fine, ten minutes only."

Sophie ran about with more energy than Cinder thought she had. She had been to school, done art stuff, and skated for the better part of the day and she still wanted to ramble on and on. Cinder played along half-heartedly and hoped that Sophie would just pass out so Cinder could carry her up to bed and not worry about her for the rest of the night. She still had to check this house for a drink, and she somehow doubted the single mother left the place dry.

When the ten minutes were up, Sophie was still trying to diagnose a stuffed baby giraffe with a fake stethoscope held against the base of its neck. "Hmm, I think she has a breathing problem!"

"I think Sophie has a sleeping problem," Cinder remarked dully. "Come on, Sophie, it's time for bed."

Sophie whined in protest, but put her toys away obediently. Cinder was waiting at the doorway, and felt a hand suddenly grab hers. Sophie was downcast, gripping Cinder's palm with both of hers. Cinder began walking up the stairs when Sophie began to lag behind.

"You alright, Soph?" Cinder turned, expecting to see a sad, frowning Sophie. But instead, Sophie's head was lolled to the side and her eyes were shut tentatively. Suppressing a small laugh, Cinder shook her head and picked up Sophie, who woke up briefly.

"Cinder... don't be angry... at Jack or the Easter Bunny..." she murmured sleepily.

Cinder looked at her, perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"They make us... happy," Sophie explained, "they protect us... and make us smile."

Cinder's heart held an unexpected weight. "They do, huh?" She walked into Sophie's room and set her down on her bed. For a six year old, she acted a lot younger. Cinder wished she could remember being like that.

"I like your ring," Sophie commented randomly, still holding Cinder's left hand.

"Do you?" Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you think it'll fit your finger, try and take it off mine." Cinder knew that Sophie was too tired and would be unable to take the ring off. Even if Sophie was wide awake, Cinder doubted the little blond girl could take off the old, magically charmed ring. Cinder herself could never get the damn thing off.

Sophie held Cinder's heated hand in both of hers and touched the ring gently. It sparkled in the weak moonlight that was streaming from the window across the hallway. Gripping the stone in her little fingers and the bottom of the ring with her other hand's fingers, she slowly slid the ring off. Cinder's jaw dropped and she gasped.

The ring had come right off without any hesitation. And now this little blond girl Cinder had known for hardly three days was putting it on each of her fingers, looking for a good fit. Sophie's index finger was large enough for the ring to not fall off all the way, and she put herself under her covers and muttered thanks as she drifted off to sleep again.

_That's it, I need a drink. Now._

Cinder closed the door carefully and ran downstairs. She searched the entire kitchen, only to find a nearly empty bottle of whiskey. It would hardly do the job, considering she had been used to far more copious amounts in recent years, but it was all she had. She didn't feel like walking down to the liquor store after what happened at the store earlier. Besides, once this bottle was polished off, she was sure she could buy the mother a brand new bottle of much better alcohol. Cinder hadn't spent any money at the store because the kind old woman had bought her what had been in her cart. Or she could buy the same stuff and drink it down to where the present bottle was, which seemed like the better option. Settling on that, she uncapped it and drank straight from the bottle.

Cinder took the bottle with her and walked out of the house, shoes left inside. It had gotten a little later, and the sliver of the waning moon gave little light. That was perfect for Cinder, however, because not being seen was always a treat. She hugged the bottle close and took off from the ground, flying into the air and floating momentarily. Looking over the town, she took another swig and contemplated her remaining options.

Before today, she swore she was going to find her teeth and then run away. But now that Pitch was out, Cinder worried that her jobs were far from done. Pitch was greedy, she knew, and would probably want her to help put an end to the Guardians. But since Cinder met this family, she was slowly becoming unsure of her intentions. Sophie's words buzzed around Cinder's foggy mind as she put the bottle to her lips again. The soft burn that ran down her throat added to the constant heat she felt her entire life.

Then there was the event with her ring. It was the one and only thing that remained constant in her extended lifetime, and now it was taken from her. Pitch had tried his hardest to get his hands in that ring but could never get it off. Why did he want the ring? Cinder could never figure it out. It was a harmless piece of metal, except for the fact that it was metaphysically glued to her finger. But for some reason, Pitch despised it. Now that it was gone, would Pitch be furious? Or did he just want the ring done away, and he'd be ecstatic to see her now?

Even if Cinder didn't understand the origin of the ring, she was quite attached to it─ literally─ and it felt like a part of her was gone. A warmer feeling began to glow in her stomach and she put the bottle to her lips once more, desiring loneliness.

As she set the bottle down, she saw that someone's house lights had turned on. Fearing that someone saw her when she didn't want to be seen, she flew down into the forest and rested herself on a tree branch. When her heartbeat settled, she tipped the bottle upside down and finished the whiskey. Finally feeling her buzz, she set her back against the tree and breathed heavily.

Cinder looked down and saw that she was still wearing the dirty skirt, which was now starting to tatter. _Seriously? I've worn this thing for maybe twelve hours! Hope the mother doesn't miss this thing,_ Cinder thought slowly, the alcohol beginning to dull her mind. Forgetting that the bottle was empty, she tried to take another drink. Realizing that it was empty again, she tossed the bottle to the ground and groaned, wishing she had more.

Slowly, Cinder began to sing. Normally, she wouldn't catch herself dead singing, but alcohol had a way of making her do unexpected things. Her voice broke at first, but after clearing her throat, she began again, skipping parts that she didn't remember:

_"So, the storm finally found me  
><em>_And left me in the dark  
><em>_In the cloud around me  
><em>_I don't know where you are  
><em>_If this whole world goes up in arms  
><em>_All I can do is stand  
><em>_And I won't fight for anyone  
><em>_Until you move my hand  
><em>_And w─"_

"What are you doing up here?" a voice rattled her blurred brain and stopped her short of finishing the verse.

Cinder giggled in response, realizing she had actually drunk more alcohol than she had anticipated. "I could ask you the same thing, Frost."

Jack was balancing on the thinning branch in front of her. It hardly dipped downward despite the fact that Jack should have weighed whatever a normal boy his size would have, but Cinder didn't take much notice. He looked at her worriedly, and Cinder silently thanked her drunk self for tossing the bottle before he got there.

"I'm back because I have to watch over the house. Something you should be doing," Jack scolded her.

"Relax, they're asleep," Cinder reassured sloppily to Jack. "Besides, I can take a break every once in awhile. Today was weird, you know?"

"Yeah, I gathered that. You stink, by the way," Jack pointed out to her.

Cinder made a show of sniffing her armpits and laughed. "Oh well, nothing that won't wash out tomorrow!"

"Let's get you back to the house, I'll tell you about what's happening when we get back," Jack leaned toward her and offered her his arm in the old fashioned way.

Cinder slapped it away with a lazy hand. "Who said I wanted to go back just yet? Lemme sit here a little while longer."

"You're not wearing pants, a jacket, or even shoes, Cinder," Jack reasoned, "you're going to freeze if you stay out here much longer."

"Do I look like I'm cold to you?" Cinder threw her arms wide. "Jeez, thought you'd have gotten the message by now. I don't get cold! I'm as warm as a furnace and always have been. I don't have any need for warm clothing," Cinder's sentences were slurring together.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the redhead. "Are you drunk?"

"Bingo," Cinder emphasized and snapped her fingers, pointing at him. "And it feels soooooo good. I'd offer you some but I already polished off the bottle." She didn't know when to stop talking; everything sounded acceptable to her now.

Jack shook his head in complete disbelief. "Are you serious? How did you even get up here like that?"

"I flew," Cinder flapped her arms like a bird and laughed because it was true.

"That's not funny, Cinder," Jack rolled his eyes.

"No, no, wait, really," Cinder stuttered, "I can fly, and it's _awesome_."

"Cinder, why in the world were you drinking?"

"I told you, today was weird," Cinder answered. "First, I went shopping and had a panic attack. Then, I meet this giant talking kangaroo that thinks he's a rabbit. And don't get me started about─"

"You know what? Never mind. Let's just focus on getting you home."

"I don't wanna!" Cinder whined like a little kid, thinking it was funny.

"Okay, okay," Jack placated. "Look, I'll carry you, but I know what happens when our skin touches. So don't squirm, okay? I'll keep my sleeves over my hands so just don't touch─"

Before Jack could finish his sentence, Cinder jumped into Jack's arms. Thankfully, he already had his sleeves down over his hands, but he stumbled backwards in surprise, almost losing his balance. In the sudden jump, Jack's staff had fallen out of the tree. Jack floated down and kicked the staff onto his shoulder. Cinder didn't struggle out of Jack's grasp, but she was a little uncomfortable and tried to wriggle her own body into a comfortable position.

"I said to stay still, Cinder," Jack grumbled as he held his face away from her flailing arms.

"You're not very comfortable, you know that?" Cinder smirked as she playfully tumbled around in his arms. It made her world extra dizzy and extra fun.

"Well you'll be in your bed soon if you just stop moving for two seconds."

"Hey," she pointed at his nose, "you may be the spirit of winter, but I don't think you're getting to the house in two seconds."

Jack huffed and closed his eyes, not wanting to answer the drunken girl.

"Jamie said you liked me," Cinder wasn't sure why she was mentioning this, but the alcohol kept nagging at her, "like, the way you look at me or something like that." She may have mumbled something else, but she wasn't sure.

Jack didn't answer her. Instead, he took off for the air and the breeze woke Cinder slightly. Breathing in deeply, Cinder looked up at Jack's face and nearly gasped. His lips were sown in a tight line and determination was set in his features. Cinder's muddled mind wondered what was making him act so serious. She vaguely remembered that Pitch was free again and that that might have been what was upsetting Jack. Inhibited by alcohol, she pitied him and snuggled into his chest, hoping it would make him feel better. She felt Jack inhale quickly and go rigid and she wondered if everything was okay.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Cinder awoke in her bedroom with a blanket that appeared to have been thrown over her hastily. Standing up straight, she clutched her head and immediately wished that she hadn't woken up yet. A headache instantly shot through her forehead and she grimaced.<p>

Looking at the clock, she saw that it was 11:00am. The kids were late for school. Coughing violently, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, still in her clothes from the day before. Groaning, she scrambled out of her clothing and stumbled over to her bag. Picking up a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of stretch shorts, she walked toward the bathroom naked. The kids could have the day off for all she cared.

After a long, hot shower, Cinder threw on her clothes and tied up her hair messily. Staring at her complexion in the mirror, she noticed that dark bags under her eyes had appeared. Sighing, she walked out of the bathroom and went to Jamie's room. She knocked softly, but there was no answer.

"Jamie?" Cinder asked in a hoarse voice. "You don't have to go to school today. I'm calling my own snow day."

No answer. Cinder opened the door carefully and peeked inside. She was surprised to find that Jamie wasn't there. She walked over to Sophie's room and found the same thing. The kids were gone. Cinder ran downstairs and looked around, not finding a trace of them. Her heartbeat rose and she was starting to panic when she saw a slip of paper on the counter. Reading over it carefully, she sighed and sat down, holding her heavy, hung-over head.

_Cinder -  
><em>_I took the kids to school again. You owe me. I'll talk to you when I get back.  
><em>_- Jack_

Cinder walked over to the fridge and looked for something to eat. Settling on making eggs, she went to get out a pan only to realize that it was dirty. Jack must have tried to make them breakfast. Cinder laughed at the thought of Jack accidentally freezing the kids' fried eggs and walked into the living room with a glass of water. Sitting down carefully, she sipped her water and waited for the hangover to fade.

Then she remembered last night. The things she told Jack were far out of line, she realized, and she berated herself for her foolishness. Thankfully, Jack didn't take her drunken outbursts seriously, but now Cinder would have to explain herself.

But more importantly, what had Pitch done to agitate the Guardians? Why had Jack come back?

Cinder finished her water and decided that a nap was the best idea if she was ever going to be able to think straight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The song used is "Cactus in the Valley" by Lights. The version I was thinking of in particular was the acoustic guitar version. She's just got the most lovely voice! You should definitely check it out!**

**As always, please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	14. Protector or Babysitter?

**A/N: I just wanna say thanks to all of the reviewers and faves/follows so far! It makes me feel all bubbly when I see the numbers go up. :P I can't wait to see what you guys think of the later chapters; I'm having a lot of fun writing them!**

**Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong> - _Protector or Babysitter?_

* * *

><p>Jack had just walked into the North Pole's globe room with Bunny to find that Pitch had given the Guardians a message. On the globe etched in black sand was a warning, and it left little guess room as for whom it was meant. <em>The Last Light<em> glittered in black, blue, and purple specks that shifted constantly under the waning sunlight, and the town of Burgess was circled hastily.

"We have to go tell Jamie!" Jack was already hopping above the globe and heading to the window.

"Jack, no!" North's sudden voice boomed. "We must think first. If we jump in, we fall in Pitch's trap."

"You think this is a trap?" Bunny piped up.

Sandy nodded his head furiously.

"I don't understand. Why hasn't the Man in the Moon warned us?" fussed Tooth.

"Hey, he didn't speak to me for three hundred years! I'm not surprised," Jack sat perched on his staff. Baby Tooth flew over to him and hid in his hood, chirping nervously. Jack whispered to her soothingly and smoothed her feathers.

"Maybe because you never took anythin' seriously," Bunny chided.

Jack flipped his staff off his shoulder and pointed it at Bunny. "Then why'd you bring me back here?"

"I made him, Jack," North stepped in front of him and held the tip of Jack's staff in one giant hand. Jack's anger subsided, albeit slowly.

"Why didn't you just use the Lights?" Jack asked.

"Did not want Pitch to think we think it important," North clarified.

It made sense. The Northern Lights that North used could be seen almost anywhere. Pitch would surely be watching for them, and not using them did give the Guardians an advantage of sorts.

"But Pitch was able to get into the North Pole, mate," Bunny pointed out. "What if he's still in here?"

"I'll go," Jack volunteered immediately and started flying out of the room when Sandy stopped him, shaking his head. Gentle bells rang when he did this, and it calmed Jack down a little.

"Jack," North began, "We need you to go back to Burgess. Stay with Jamie."

Jack was confused. Wouldn't Pitch being inside the North Pole be a little more serious? He turned around to spite them only to see Sandy materializing images above his head. A barber pole, Pitch's face, a "G," and a semi-clear sphere, among others whizzed by too fast for Jack to read, and he looked at Sandy quizzically.

"I have force field 'round entire Pole," North threw his arms wide, "Pitch could not have stayed long if he was here."

"But then how did he get in?" Tooth asked.

Jack furrowed in concentration for a moment. "What about where the black sand is on the globe? Could it be the fire guy? Maybe Pitch had him burn places in order to make writing on the globe?"

North shook his head gravely. "I saw no fire in globe portals."

"Fear must have escalated in those areas somehow," Bunny suggested.

"Perhaps, Bunny," North stroked his beard in thought. Out from behind him, he withdrew a cutlass and tapped it against his skull as he paced the room. Everyone moved out of the way when he did this for fear of getting cut accidentally. North was fairly unpredictable sometimes.

Sandy rang an elf's head to get the Guardians' attentions; it was still one of the more effective ways of communication for Sandy. When they all turned to him, he pointed to the door and a series of images told them he was going to check the place out just in case. They nodded and Sandy took off, trailing dream sand as he left.

"Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the other day. But I'm going to head back to Burgess and warn Jamie," Jack said. Baby Tooth was about to fly back to Tooth when she sent her back.

"You stay with Jack, sweetie," Tooth ordered the mini fairy gently, "I can take care of your shifts."

Baby Tooth chirped and squeaked excitedly and hugged Tooth. The little purple pendant around Tooth's neck shimmered, catching the light from the windows. Tooth mouthed a word of thanks in Jack's direction and flashed a small smile. Baby Tooth flew back to Jack and fluttered into the side of his neck, which tickled Jack a little. She then traveled back into his hood's folds and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Jack," North cut in before he could leave, "you cannot stay all time, Pitch may find out you are watching him. We take shifts. Bunny," he turned to the oversized rabbit, "you take next one."

"When's that gonna be?" Bunny exasperated, "I have to prepare for Easter, mate."

"Bah, Easter not so important now," North flicked his hand in Bunny's direction. Bunny sniveled but remained silent. "What is important is we pretend not to get excited. Everybody, take few globe portals. Less chance we are seen by Pitch, the better."

North handed a few globe portals to Jack first. They shrunk as he touched them in order to fit into his sweatshirt's pocket. Then North leaned close and whispered directions into Jack's ear. His eyes widened, then he nodded and said his goodbyes to the other Guardians. With his face set in determination, Jack flew out of the window. He wasn't to use a globe portal for this trip. He needed to take his time, because Pitch was probably watching the place as they spoke. If Jack appeared suddenly, it would raise suspicions.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching Burgess an hour or two later, Jack flew down to the street on the opposite side of town from Jamie's. He walked cautiously through the streets, although he felt this mode of transportation to be insanely slow. Jack was glad he could fly at will, otherwise being an immortal spirit wasn't entirely beneficial. Thankfully, the Guardians who couldn't fly couldn't hear his thoughts.<p>

The town was mostly asleep, except for lights from adults' rooms, which Jack wasn't worried about. A few cars drove down lonely roads and some older people were talking in whispers at corners. Jack ignored them like usual. If they couldn't see him, he didn't bother with them unless they were in danger. Walking underneath a streetlight, he looked behind him and saw that he cast no shadow. It meant no kids were in sight to see him, so he held no physical attribute in the present environment. He took a deep breath and carried on.

Once he finally reached Jamie's, he flew up to the roof and checked all of the windows. Jamie and Sophie were both fast asleep. Careful not to leave frost on the windows or rooftop, he tiptoed lightly across the building, laying low. He checked Cinder's window last, hoping that she would be awake and they could talk. She left in an upsetting mood earlier in the afternoon, and Jack wanted to cheer her up. But upon looking into her window, his eyes grew wide in disbelief. Cinder wasn't in her room. Jack waited a few minutes to see if she was in the bathroom, but when she hadn't come back up, Jack began to panic. It was the second time she had left the kids alone, and Jack wanted to know what was so important that she had to slip out of the house at night.

What he hadn't expected to be the reason was that she had been drinking. Jack had left their house and went immediately to the pond, hoping she might have gone somewhere close. Jack thought she may have been on the ice, given the way she had been skating earlier that day. It was graceful, and Jack smiled at the memory.

It was then that he had heard a soft, breathy voice in the distance. It was low at first, but it slowly picked up volume as Jack listened. Curious, Jack walked toward the voice. When he got closer, he realized that the sound was coming from above him. Looking into the trees, he was shocked to find Cinder sitting lazily against a tree with her leg hanging over the branch, singing with her eyes closed. Her voice wasn't anything wonderful, in fact it had very little talent, but it had an emotion in it that made Jack take a step back. He listened for a little while until he figured he'd wasted enough time. Jumping onto the branch hoping to scare her, Cinder reacted very differently.

She said weird things, like flying and always feeling warm. Jack finally pieced it together and realized she was drunk and didn't take her words as seriously. _Is this what she did that other night as well? She's a horrible sitter._ Jack shook his head, but decided to carry her home anyway. Whether or not she'd remember any of it later, Jack could only guess. He hadn't necessarily dealt with drunken people before, as far as he knew, and Cinder probably wasn't a good example. Despite his instructions, she squirmed in his grasp and he was constantly scared that he would drop her. He was tempted to scare her sober by pretending to drop her and then picking her back up again, but he didn't want to risk making her scream and being caught. He wasn't supposed to by flying while he was in Burgess, but moving Cinder otherwise proved impossible.

But then she stilled. Jack looked down at her worriedly, thinking she had finally grown cold in shock. But her drooping eyes stared back at him as best they could. She said something incoherent and Jack thought he heard Jamie's name. Then, Cinder leaned into him and wrapped her arm around the back of his neck and her other arm lay gently on his chest, her head resting heavily on his shoulder.

"I think I like you, too," Cinder murmured, "even if you're a winter spirit and I'm a..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Jack didn't think he needed to hear anymore. He stiffened at her contact and stared straight ahead, determined to not think about it. Cinder was drunk, he repeated to himself. She shouldn't have been and she shouldn't have even left the house. Granted, she didn't know about the current situation with Pitch, but Jack was still angry with her. He'd have to speak with her once she sobered up.

Gliding down to the road, he walked across slowly, Cinder's weight burdening him. Jack set her legs down so that he could open the front door, and both of Cinder's arms wrapped around his shoulders in a drunken response. She muttered something into his sweatshirt's hood and rubbed her head. That was when Baby Tooth popped out and chirped loudly, because Cinder was messing up her little nest she had made. She muttered something rudely to Jack and wagged her finger at him.

"Sorry, Baby Tooth," Jack apologized, "I don't know what's gotten into her. Just deal with it until we get her to bed, alright?"

Baby Tooth huffed and disappeared inside his hood once again. Jack opened the door and picked up Cinder again. It was difficult because of the way that she clung to him, but he managed to get her into her bedroom. He tried to set Cinder on the bed, but her arms wouldn't let go. In fact, her hands were slipping and her bare skin was about to touch his and in panic, Jack ducked his head and let Cinder's arms slip over his hair. Sighing in relief that the maneuver had worked, he took the blanket folded at the end of the bed and was about to toss it over her. Then he looked at her hand and saw that the ring he thought she had been wearing was in fact, not there. Jack was confused but he shook off the feeling and laid the blanket over the drunken girl. It was then he realized that she would not be able to get up in time to get the kids to school and still function.

He left the house and perched himself against the side of Jamie's window. In the morning he woke them up, saying that Cinder was sick and that he would take them to school. Jamie looked at him skeptically, not quite believing him. He tried to question Jack about how he knew and if Jack had visited her last night, but Jack remained silent. Even when Jamie questioned about Pitch, Jack only said that he would tell Jamie later. Sophie was constantly trying to get into Cinder's room, but Jack caught her with his staff every time and brought her back downstairs. They could see her after school, he said. He hated not telling them what was important, but it was one of North's instructions. The kids weren't allowed to know what was going on unless it became apparent that something bad was happening soon. Jack didn't like leaving Jamie out of this since it was he who was at risk, but he knew what North meant. Needless worrying and fear would tip Pitch off, and the Guardians couldn't let that happen.

They had finally walked out of the house and were on the way to the school, with Jamie not talking to Jack and Sophie incessantly asking about Cinder. When they rounded the last corner before the school, Jack was about to leave when a boomerang swung around him causing him to halt in his tracks.

"Easter Bunny!" Sophie cried before Jamie covered her mouth.

"Hey, Bunny," Jamie said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "are you here to take Jack back to the North Pole again?"

"Not quite, mates," Bunny smiled at them reassuringly, "just head on to school, awlright?"

The kids nodded and walked onward hesitantly. When they were inside the school and out of earshot, Bunny hopped over to Jack and took him aside to where no believer could see or hear them.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked angrily. "Do you want them to figure out what we're doing?"

"Calm down, frosty," Bunny retorted, "I'm just here to tell you it's my turn to watch them now."

"I've hardly been here a day!"

"North told me to go," Bunny explained, "and I don't normally question the big guy. He makes sense a lot of the time."

Jack nodded, realizing what Bunny was saying was true. Still, he needed to speak with Cinder. He'd left her a note promising that he would be back to speak with her, and he didn't want to be a liar.

"I've still got to go speak with Cinder," Jack admitted.

"That angry sheila the other night?" Bunny raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't mind havin' a few words with her, myself."

"I know, she was pretty rude, but..." Jack's voice trailed off. "But she didn't necessarily mean it. She sometimes forgets she shouldn't be able to see us."

"Doesn't she believe?"

"No, I mean, not really," Jack hesitated. "She didn't believe in me at first but she could still see me."

"Well does she know about the Guardians? About Pitch?"

Jack tightened his lips in a straight line for an answer.

"Are you serious, mate?" Bunny palmed his face in disbelief. "She's involved now, you know that? You've involved an innocent human girl, and there's no doubt Pitch is going to pick up on that."

"He's only after Jamie," Jack insisted, "and Cinder's his and Sophie's sitter for the week. She was bound to figure it out, anyway."

"Well, that makes it so much better!" Bunny said with sarcasm. "Now we've got a furless Tasmanian Devil on our side, there's no way we can lose!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She was wearing a skirt and no jacket in ten-degree-weather, mate," Bunny clarified. "I was feeling cold just lookin' at her."

"Cinder said she doesn't get cold so─ her sweater!" Jack interrupted himself.

"The sheila had one of 'em?" Bunny asked skeptically.

"Yeah, but I didn't see it... she must have left it at the pond," Jack reasoned to himself. "Sorry cottontail, I've gotta go. You can continue hopping around and coloring eggs or whatever, I've got this."

"Jack! Remember the last time you told us that?" Bunny asked after him, referring to Jack bringing Sophie home and abandoning the Guardians to Pitch's wrath, destroying Easter.

Jack stopped and let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't like that time. You know I'll come back."

"I bloody hope so, mate," Bunny tipped his head in farewell and bounced off. "Send some snow while you're at it!"

Jack stood there for a minute before taking off. Did the Guardians not trust him? Was North sending Bunny to keep an eye on Jack? Shaking his head, Jack ran to the edge of town and flew off. Bunny was right about one thing: he had to send snow places or Pitch would get suspicious.

He flew as far as he could, far, far away from Burgess. For a few hours, Jack pretended to be cheerful as he blew snowstorms about in the Rockies and gave snow days to multiple schools in the far north. He debated crossing the ocean and paying Europe a visit, but he wanted to get back to Burgess as soon as he could. He had to discard whatever Cinder told him the other night and tell her about the danger she was potentially facing. Once he figured it looked like he had done his job, he called to the wind and speedily made his way to Burgess. Stopping in the forest outside the town, he walked the rest of the way to the pond.

Sure enough, a dark gray fabric was waving in the wind on a rock on the side of the pond nearest the road. Walking across the pond with ease, he froze it with every footstep and picked up the sweater carefully. Jack's eyes widened as he realized how thin it was, and thought not for the first time that maybe what Cinder had said was true.

Jack walked up to the house and went inside as silently as he could. He was about to walk up the stairs when he caught a glimpse of something orange moving around in the living room. Peering through the doorway, he saw that Cinder was sleeping fitfully on the couch, an empty glass standing on the nearby coffee table. Jack hoped water had been in that glass. He walked into the room with the intention of waking her up, but thought better of it and sat in a chair across the room, clutching her sweater in his hands. He set his staff leaning against the chair and waited in silence.

_Cinder was just drunk, she didn't mean any of it, _Jack thought to himself over and over, trying to justify Cinder's words and actions.

He had just relaxed when Cinder sat up screaming. Her eyes were a wild green, but they were beginning to shift. She clutched her head in one hand and her chest in another and began to hyperventilate.

"Cinder! Cinder, you're okay. Everything's fine," Jack tried to calm the horrified girl. But when she turned and saw him, she yelped again and scrambled backward, climbing higher on the couch. Cinder clutched her scar and her chest heaved. She was staring at him with little recognition, and Jack swore he saw her eyes change color. When he tried to hold out his hand to her, she swatted at him instinctually, their fingertips touching briefly. That was enough to send shock through both of them as Jack's hand burned and Cinder's froze. The girl freaked out and tried to back up farther, only to trip on a blanket that was lying on top of the couch and fall over backwards behind the couch. Her head hit the floor first with a sickening thud, and Jack winced, holding his hand tenderly.

"Cinder?" The sudden quiet scared Jack. "Cinder, don't panic. I'm here, okay? You don't need to worry. It was just a bad dream. Let me help you up," Jack peered over the side of the couch. Cinder was lying on her back, and she was still panicking, her chest heaving up and down in ragged breaths. She whipped her head around to glare at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"She grabbed the blanket she tripped over and tossed it in his direction, landing over his head so he couldn't see. "Get out!"

"Really, Cinder?" Jack asked incredulously, tearing the blanket away from his face. "I carried your drunken body into bed and ran back for your sweater today, and this is the thanks I get?"

Then Cinder saw his burned hand and gasped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that happened!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "It happened to your hand, too. Don't you remember what just happened?"

"Panic attacks don't really work like that, Jack," Cinder explained as she stood up and climbed back over the couch. "Come on, I'll get you an ice pack."

Jack followed her into the kitchen and hoped that Cinder's panic attack hadn't alerted Pitch. He sat in the same stool as he had the last time this happened and waited patiently. "You should probably take care of yours, first," Jack suggested.

"How chivalrous," Cinder muttered sarcastically. "Here," she tossed the ice pack at Jack and he caught it. "Next time, don't try and calm me down from a panic attack. It's better to just let them blow over." She bent down to open a lower cabinet and then frowned. "Oh yeah," she said in realization.

"You looking for the alcohol you downed last night?" Jack asked.

That's when Cinder straightened up and faced him. Jack swore he saw her eyes tearing up, but she blinked before he could be sure.

"I'm sorry about whatever happened last night," Cinder apologized, "I didn't think I drank that much."

"You don't remember anything?"

"I remember a little, nothing much though. Alcohol sure does do some funny things, huh?" Cinder tried to laugh it off, but Jack was furious at her.

"What were you thinking? You've left the kids home alone twice now!"

"You came to the house that night?" Cinder snapped at him. Jack realized then that she couldn't have known. Good going, Jack. A pat on the back for you.

"Yeah, while you were out drinking your fill, no doubt," Jack answered, his voice thick with venom.

Cinder's eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line. "You don't know anything, Jack."

"Alright, alright," Jack backed off. Her mood swings were completely unpredictable, he realized. "Just, can you take care of your hand? It must hurt," Jack pointed to her frozen hand.

Cinder looked down and swayed unsteadily. "I'll do that, but didn't you want to talk?"

"It can wait until you've taken care of yourself," Jack assured her. "Besides, your hair is a wreck."

Cinder turned and peered at her reflection on the stainless steel fridge. Her hair was knotted in a loose bun that swung freely, with wisps and flyaway hairs floating around randomly. Jack heard Cinder groan and walk upstairs. Jack laughed.

"I heard that!" Cinder's muffled voice came from the bathroom and Jack heard the bathtub water flowing.

Jack smiled and waited, lifting the ice pack temporarily. He was amazed that it worked better than his own ice, which hurt his hand whenever he touched the burned sections. Suddenly, Jack thought back to what Cinder had said the other night: she doesn't get cold. And whenever they touch, Jack got burned.

_Is she really human?_ Jack eyes widened. Baby Tooth reappeared and muttered similar thoughts.

"Alright," Cinder appeared in front of him abruptly, "you want to explain to me why a giant kangaroo kidnapped you last night saying that Pitch was back?" She had somehow managed to make her frizzy red wreck turn into smooth waves that caressed her face and shoulders. "And who is that?"

Baby Tooth flew around Cinder in circles and Jack saw the ghost of a smile spread across her face.

"That's one of Tooth's fairies."

"She has little minions? Cool," Cinder pet Baby Tooth's feathers and she snuggled right into Cinder's hands. It must be pretty warm...

"So how much do you know?" Jack asked before his thought continued.

Cinder faltered almost imperceptibly. "Well, there's what you've told me before and then Jamie told me the full story. His version, at least."

"Well, that makes my job easier, I guess," Jack took a deep breath before continuing. "Pitch escaped our imprisonment last night. He left us a note at the North Pole."

"Why the North Pole? Were you meeting at Santa's Workshop?" Cinder asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes," Jack defended the statement, "North's place is plenty large enough and it's where the Guardians meet every year. Or more often if something comes up," he added after a pause.

"Or someone," Cinder led in.

"Right. Well, Pitch somehow found his way in, and he left a message on the globe."

"The globe?" Cinder raised a dubious eyebrow.

"It's a giant replica of the Earth with a bunch of tiny lights on it. The lights represent the children who believe in us," Jack explained.

"So four years ago, Pitch meant to make those lights disappear?"

Jack nodded. "Anyway, he wrote 'The Last Light' on the globe and circled this town last night."

"With what?"

"Black sand," Jack briefly described the frightening substance. "And it also appeared when some fire guy burned down villages a few days ago. He seems to be working for Pitch, and I don't want either of them to find Jamie. Not on my watch."

Cinder's face went gravely pale, and Jack could see that she knew something. Before he could investigate, she ran over to the phone and began dialing a number.

"What are you doing?" Jack stood up and walked next to her. A strange heat was coming off of her body, and Jack realized her warmth the other night may not have been the alcohol.

"I'm calling the school, we have to get Jamie away from here," her voice was urgent and her fingers were anxiously tapping the side of the phone. Jack took it from her and hung it up. Before Cinder could protest, Jack explained.

"We can't let Pitch know that we've begun to join together again," Jack told her. "If we let Jamie know, fear will crawl all over this house and Pitch will show up in a heartbeat. I'm surprised he didn't knock down the door after that panic attack you had!"

"I can't help those!" Cinder crossed her arms, defensively hurt.

Jack took a step back and apologized. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, Cinder."

Cinder's look softened and she let her arms fall to her sides. "I shouldn't have snapped..."

"It's fine," was all Jack could offer.

Cinder bit her lip and looked away. "So what do we do?" she asked in order to change the subject, which Jack wasn't sure if he was glad for or not.

"As much as I hate it, we have to lay low until Pitch makes his next move. He usually reveals his plans in parts at a time, so we're betting he'll do something if he thinks we aren't paying attention."

Cinder shook her head. "He can't be that oblivious. If he was strong enough to break out of prison and into the North Pole, he must know what you guys are up to."

Jack shrugged because he didn't have an answer. If he had to watch over the house, just sitting here and talking wasn't exactly the most fun he was having. He stood up and walked back into the living room, grabbing his staff. When he came back, he tossed the ice pack on the counter and began walking to the door. He was expecting Cinder to speak up and stop him, or ask him where he was going, but she remained silent. Jack turned to look at her and saw sadness wash over her features.

"Jack, if anything happens to these kids," Cinder looked at him with pleading eyes, "I can't forgive myself."

"Hey, hey," Jack walked back over to her, "it's okay. Nothing's going to happen to them, alright?" An idea popped into his head. "Why don't we go outside? Let's play a game. Go get your gloves," he gestured upstairs, "and warmer clothes."

Cinder simply nodded and walked up the stairs. Something was off about her, again, but Jack decided to leave it alone.

When she came back down, Jack was relieved to see that she was actually wearing pants for once, but she was still only wearing a thin t-shirt. He frowned then walked into the living room and grabbed her sweater. When he got back to the kitchen, she was waiting for him with her gloves on. He handed her the sweatshirt and she took it carefully with a muttered thank-you.

"Now come on," Jack took her gloved hand once she buttoned the sweater, "I've gotta teach you how to have a snowball fight."

"What happened to laying low?" Cinder asked as he dragged her across the road and down to the pond.

"Don't worry," Jack answered, looking back at her, "we'll play in the woods." But for some reason, Cinder's face told him she still didn't believe him.

When they had gotten far enough into the woods, Jack taught her how to make a snowball, instantly forming one in his palm as an example of what the end result should look like. Cinder bent down and tried to pick up some snow, but gasped as the pile she picked up melted. Jack studied her closely, then figured it was because the temperature had warmed up outside. He aimed his staff upward and made it snow beneath the tops of the trees, so that it couldn't be seen anywhere else. He caught Cinder looking up toward the bare branches in amazement and he giggled. When she noticed him, she took her melted snow and tossed it in his face. The water slid down his hair and face and had gotten into his mouth. Coughing, he tossed his already made snowball and got her square in the face. He had been expecting blue sparkles to shimmer in front of her eyes, but nothing happened for a moment.

Cinder smirked and walked behind a tree. Confused, Jack walked around to the side of the tree, expecting her to be there. She wasn't. Jack looked around in disbelief. "Cinder!"

Suddenly, a bunch of snow fell on top of him, making him stumble out of the way. He heard Cinder's laughter above him. Jack smiled and laughed back.

"Nice one, I'll admit," Jack brushed the snow off. "But you left yourself open!" He formed another snowball and lobbed it up at her.

Cinder's surprised shriek made her lose balance. Before she fell to the ground, however, Jack shot out and grabbed her, not worried about skin contact because for once none of her limbs were exposed. They stared at each other momentarily. An awkward tension rose between them: one where both of their throats were thick and fell into their stomachs, as if both had something to say. But each waited for the other to say something, their eyes yearning to find each other's secrets and finding only the same impatience. Neither of them dared to make a noise for a few moments. The air was still but their hearts raced.

Baby Tooth popped out of Jack's hood and chirped hastily at Cinder. She shrieked again before recovering her composure.

"Jerk," Cinder jumped out of his arms before he registered what had just taken place.

They went on like nothing had happened. Jack taught Cinder how to make a better snowball, and this time she didn't melt it instantly. Jack had his doubts, but the fun kept them at bay for a few hours. It was after those few hours that Cinder shot up from her hiding place.

"Jack! What time is it?"

Jack looked at the sky and realized why she was asking. It seemed she understood what he was thinking. But before he could say anything, she was already moving.

"I'll go get the kids, you go freeze stuff," Cinder instructed as she began jogging out of the woods.

"Are you sure?" Jack called after her.

"Just stay out of sight like you're supposed to, Frost!" she called back. "And I won that fight!"

Jack smiled and shook his head. She had been smiling again. And after what she told him last night, he didn't have a doubt that they were becoming friends.

* * *

><p>"Jack! Jack! Oh God, Jack! Where are you? Jack!" Cinder's frantic voice rang through Jack's mind. He had taken a nap in a tree in the woods.<p>

"What?" Jack gasped as he fell out of his perch. "What is it, Cinder?"

"Oh, Jack!" Cinder crashed into his chest and took a minute before she backed away. Jack had been about to hug her in order to calm her down, but he could see that she was in hysterics. And not wearing shoes.

"What's wrong, Cinder?"

"It's Jamie," Cinder was panting heavily, "he's gone."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun, dun, DUNNN! Cliffhangers are fun, ja? Sorry not sorry. :)**


	15. The Double Agent

**Chapter 15** - _The Double Agent_

* * *

><p>The school bell rang and children filed out of the building haphazardly. It went from complete, comfortable silence to all-out innocent chaos. Peering at the doors carefully, Cinder searched for the tall teenage boy and his little blond sister. She waved the kids down once she saw them coming out of the school. Sophie ran straight for her, ensnaring Cinder in a long hug. Jamie trailed just behind and waited.<p>

"Cinder!" Sophie snuggled her head at the touch of the redhead's sweater. "I'm so glad you're not sick anymore!"

_Is that what Jack told them?_ Cinder smirked. "Yup, I'm all better. I just needed more sleep, it turns out."

"Where's Jack?" Jamie asked. "Did he say anything to you?"

So Jack really hadn't told these kids what was going on. "Nope, haven't seen him. He left me a note, but he's been gone since he took Sophie and me skating."

"Oh! Cinder?" Sophie tugged at her hand. A question begged on her lips.

"Yes, Soph?" Cinder looked down softly. Mentally she set herself back and questioned when she began to care about these children enough to call them by nicknames.

"Sarah wanted me to sleep over at her house tonight. She's right over there," Sophie pointed to a brunette girl coming their way.

"Is that so?" Cinder followed Sophie's finger. She wasn't sure if this was out of the question, since Mrs. Bennett had given instructions when she wasn't fully paying attention. Nevertheless, it meant one less kid in the house, right? Cinder could finally and truly relax after the events of the past few days. "Okay, Sophie. Do you know the house number in case you need me or Jamie?"

"Uh, I volunteered you to walk us to her house," Sophie admitted sheepishly. "We can show you the way, though. It's not too far!"

"Oh," Cinder realized what she had been pulled into. "Okay. Are you coming, Jamie?"

"Do I really have to walk with you guys? I have homework." Jamie was already turned toward the route home.

"Not that you do any of it," Cinder remarked as he sneered in response, "but sure. If you go out with friends, leave a note, okay?"

"Yes, _Mom_," Jamie answered with a joking smile and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Be safe─!" Cinder called as an afterthought. She knew she was leaving Jamie alone, but it was only a small amount of time, right? He had been in school all day and Pitch never once showed up.

"─_Said Mother_!" Jamie hollered over his shoulder, which made Cinder laugh. She was a terrible mother, if that was the case. Either way, Sophie and Sarah caught up with each other and walked ahead of Cinder the entire trip, chatting incessantly about whatever six-year-olds chat about.

Cinder left Sophie and Sarah at the doorstep and began walking past the fence when she felt a sudden weight tip her balance. She tried to spin around, but Sophie was clinging tightly.

"Are you okay, Sophie?" Cinder asked out of surprise. "Are you nervous?"

"No, I'm okay," Sophie beamed up at her with bright green eyes, "I'll just miss you, Cinder."

Cinder felt the ghost of a smile touch her lips and she laughed lightheartedly. "Okay, Sophie. Have a good time."

After that, Cinder walked the extra mile back to the house and closed the door. She kicked off her shoes and threw her sweatshirt on the counter, leaving her gloves on out of a newly formed habit. With the house practically empty and no Sophie to constantly pine for her attention, she let out a long sigh of relief. She should have gone to get Jack, but she was unsure whether he had taken her advice and gone to make a wintery mess of other places. Not having anything to do, she walked over to the fridge and opened the door. Cinder wasn't necessarily hungry, but being bored meant nearly the same thing, anyway.

"It's a wonder I'm not fat," Cinder laughed to herself. "Jamie! Do you want a snack or something?"

"He ain't here, mate," a voice called back to her.

Cinder closed the fridge and shrieked when she saw the giant rabbit standing in the living room. "First you break up a skating spree, and then you sneak into a house and scare the living daylights out of me. What's next, O Easter Bunny?" Cinder asked sarcastically.

"It's just Bunny. Where's Jamie?"

He hadn't left a note that Cinder could see, so she assumed that he was up in his room. "I thought he came home," Cinder looked at Bunny strangely.

"And I thought Jack was bringing the ankle-biters home," Bunny retorted.

Cinder shook her head. "I caught up with him and said I'd pick up the kids. I can't have spirits doing my job for me and collect the money on a clear conscience. And you can relax, Jack told me about what happened with Pitch."

"Yeah, well, why didn't you keep Jamie in your sight?"

Cinder was beginning to panic. "I had to bring Sophie to a friend's house, and Jamie was just going to head right home. It's hardly a ten minute walk. I thought he'd be fine. I thought... oh," Cinder choked out in realization. Jack had trusted her, like she had trusted him and finally allowed him to be a friend. Her heartbeat quickened and her breaths came out short. "Oh no, no, no. Bunny. No, Jamie must have caught up with his friends at some point, and went with them. Check, um, no. Oh no."

"Are you awlright, mate?" Bunny hopped closer to her.

"I'm going to go get Jack. You look around the town, okay?"

Before Bunny could reply, Cinder ran out the door without putting on her shoes or sweater. She slipped down the hill and called out to Jack, not caring if anyone heard or saw her and thought she was crazy. Perhaps she was. She hoped she was.

"Oh Jack!" Cinder exclaimed as she ran full speed into Jack's body. She stared up at him for a few full seconds before pulling away and wiping a tear from her eye. She told him what had happened without answering his questions. She said that Bunny had been at the house waiting for them and Jamie went on ahead of her but he never made it home and she was to blame and she felt horrible for betraying them and for letting this happen and...

"Jack, what if Pitch kidnapped Jamie?" Cinder didn't know why this would be his first move. She told him directly that she was watching these kids, and he was interfering with it just because of a plan that he never even told her about. If Pitch had told her in the first place... no; she'd probably still be upset.

"Relax. You said Bunny was still searching, right?" Jack tried to soothe her panic. Cinder wouldn't admit that it helped a little, but she nodded in answer.

"He's not here," Bunny came over to them, "I've looked everywhere."

Cinder was mortified. She screwed up again. She had both sides angry at her now. "I'm so sorry, I did this. Please, let me help. What do we do?"

"We─" Jack began.

"_Jack and I_," Bunny emphasized, "will go back to the Pole and report back. You need to stay here," Bunny took out a round, snow globe-like object and whispered to it before tossing it on the ground. A bright flash temporarily blinded Cinder as an image formed in the middle. That was when she realized it must have been some kind of portal, and they were going to leave her here alone. She was not okay with that. Waiting until just after the pair had walked through it, she jumped through before the portal closed up.

What happened next, she couldn't explain. It was like the wind beating at her when she flew, but she was standing still and so was the air around her. A pressure was pushing and pulling her, tearing at her limbs with a ferocity she did not expect. Within the instant, the air grew warmer and Cinder felt like the heat inside her would implode her being if she stayed here too long. Tripping over her own feet as she fell through, she landed on a furry red carpet, coughing roughly.

Several confused gasps resounded in the room above her. Looking up, she saw a tall man with a long white beard, a short, golden and crazy-haired man, a beautiful multi-colored fairy, as well as Bunny and Jack all staring down at her.

"Cinder?" Jack asked at last. "What are you doing here?"

Cinder picked herself off the floor and brushed her arms. "I told you I wanted to help."

"Who is girl, Jack?" the extraordinarily tall, wide man asked.

"You could ask me yourself, you know," Cinder put her hand on her hip. She was sick of all of these spirits thinking she couldn't see them. She thought they would have been able to tell that she was also a spirit, but apparently she could be wrong three times in a row and still be sane.

The three that she didn't recognize all gasped in unison.

"You can see us?" the purple-eyed fairy asked with wide features.

"You must be the Tooth Fairy," Cinder commented, ignoring the question. "Nice to meet you. And you must be Santa, and that leaves the Sandman," Cinder squatted down to the gold man's level. He nodded and sounds of soft crystal bells were heard in Cinder's ear. It was peaceful and sleep-like. She smiled, realizing that he was mute. "I like you already," she said as the Sandman gave her a high-five.

The tall man laughed. "And you can call me North."

"I didn't think Santa would be Russian," Cinder muttered under her breath. "North it is," she spoke louder to cover herself.

But when she turned to the Tooth Fairy, she was met with prying fingers in her mouth. Cinder muffled profanity that the others couldn't make out before Tooth took her fingers away.

"You could stand to floss a bit more," she wagged her finger at her, "and I'm Tooth. Wow, Jack! How'd you find a believer as old as she is?" Tooth flew over to Jack, but Cinder noticed that she had gone behind him, as if she was suddenly scared of Cinder. She noticed that the beautiful fairy was staring cautiously at Cinder's scar, and she became very self-conscious.

"Well," Jack offered his hand down to Cinder and she took it─ her hand thankfully gloved─ standing up abruptly, "she's─"

"I'm Jamie and Sophie's sitter," Cinder answered for him. Jack shot her a look but she ignored him.

"Which reminds me! Bunny!" North pulled out a sharp cutlass and pointed it at the Easter Bunny. "Why are you not at house watching Jamie?"

"He's missing, sir," Cinder cut in again, determined to be heard, "and I think Pitch has him."

"What?!" the Russian man yelled. North spun around to point what had now become two cutlasses at Jack and Bunny. "Explain yourselves."

"It's not their fault!" Cinder stepped in between the cutlasses and North withdrew them. The act made several Guardians gasp, and Cinder took it to mean that this was a gutsy move. "I told Jack I was going to pick up the kids from school. Jamie walked ahead while I took Sophie to a friend's house. Jack told me about your plan, but I thought the short walk home was going to be fine. I'm sorry."

What looked like sand flew past her and Cinder looked down at the Sandman. Thousands of grains of sand were above his head, and it took her a minute before she realized that they were images. But they were flying so fast that Cinder had no clue what he was doing.

"Is he... talking? Can someone translate?" Cinder pointed to the Sandman.

"He said, 'is not your fault. Pitch is tricky man.' We were waiting for this," North interpreted as best he could.

Cinder nodded ruefully. She knew exactly how Pitch acted, and this was typical. And yet, he should have told her. Cinder berated herself over and over again for not following him after getting out of the lair. She should have asked him about what he was planning. She wouldn't be so tightly bound in this mess if she had just been a little smarter, and it didn't make her feel any better.

"Let's get you home, mate," Bunny hopped up to her and grabbed her arm, but yelped in pain as soon as he made contact with her. Wagging his paw, Cinder saw that the fur was blackened or even bare where her arm had touched him. She stifled a giggle, knowing this was neither the time nor the place to be revealing herself.

Covering up Bunny's incident, Cinder spoke up. "I am not going back to Burgess without Jamie. You're going to let me help, or I'm not going to leave." Bunny gave her a rude stare, but didn't say anything.

"But what about Sophie?" Jack asked.

Cinder gulped. "I was hoping my stubbornness would win out before she had to be home."

"Even if we let you help, what makes you think you can trick Pitch? He is not dumb man," North tried to talk her down.

"I don't need to trick him," Cinder was trying her hardest to convince them to allow a human girl help them, "I just need to sneak by him and rescue Jamie."

"We don't even know where the bloody guy is!" Bunny hopped up to her. Cinder looked down to see that he was ignoring the pain in his paw. "How do we expect a human sheila like you, no offense, to find this guy's hide out when we don't _ever_ seem to know where he is?"

Cinder set her mouth in a tight line, determined not to burn the kangaroo in a loss of temper. Should she just tell them what she is? No, Jack told her they knew about the fire spirit burning the villages. Cinder swore silently to herself for performing poorly. She had to convince them otherwise.

"Okay, well, I can make him come to me," Cinder said at last. The Guardians looked at her with mixed looks of disbelief, worry, and confusion.

"Excuse me, dear, could you explain how that's a good idea?" The Tooth Fairy fretted.

Cinder bit her lip and dove right in. "I have panic attacks regularly. I've had them for a long time, really, and I know when something is going to set me off. I can use that excessive amount of panic to lure him in."

"And den we come in and attack, yes?" North already had his cutlasses out. Cinder's jaw fell momentarily as she admired the swords and this guy's brass attitude. "But no. Out of question." The big guy coincidentally had a big heart as well.

"But," Bunny stuttered, "but there's one tiny problem. What makes you think he'd bring Jamie with him?"

The Guardians murmured similar agreement. Cinder knew that Pitch would show up with Jamie. That's just how the Nightmare King was. But this wasn't her actual plan. Cinder just needed the Guardians to trust her.

"That man knows I'm their sitter," Cinder said with a little too much confidence, "I mean, otherwise he's completely blind and I have no idea why you guys would have such a hard time with him. Look, the point is, I can do this. Just let me get Jamie back."

"We understand you want to help," North put his large hand on Cinder's shoulder, and she was surprised to find that his body temperature was nearly as warm as hers. It was comforting, in a way. "But is too dangerous. You are just human, and we do not know what Pitch is planning."

"Please," Cinder's voice was thick with emotions that surprised those listening, "he's my responsibility. I am the one who needs to do this. He would recognize a Guardian sooner than he would recognize me. And he would never know I'm working with you guys to get Jamie back. I would just look like a worried sitter. Please, please, let me get Jamie back!" Cinder fell to the floor, her own breaths choking her and closing her throat. She wasn't sure why, but she knew that keeping Jamie and Sophie safe was the most important thing to her now. Her other obligations could wait. She felt Jack's eyes on her. Peering in his direction, she noticed his features had softened. Perhaps he understood.

_Besides_, she thought in order to stop herself from crying, _I can get any orders or answers from Pitch while I'm at it. _

After a long pause, North sighed heavily. "I guess we can send someone with you─"

"No!" Cinder spoke out too quickly. "I mean, the chances will be better if I go alone. You wouldn't want to chance Jamie getting hurt, would you?"

"Even if you do get Jamie back, Pitch would get away," Bunny reminded them.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Cinder's voice broke in frustration.

"She's right," the Tooth Fairy spoke up. "Right now, Jamie's safety is more important."

"We are not letting her go alone!" Jack had squeezed his way back into the conversation.

"Is that volunteer?" North clapped his hand against Jack's back, making him step forward to keep balance. Cinder muffled a laugh and Jack shot her an accusing look.

"Wait, you can't send Jack with her!" Bunny insisted.

"Why not?" Jack suddenly became defensive.

Cinder took this precious moment of bickering and sprinted out of the room. Running down the halls, her bare feet hardly made a sound as they carried her farther away. The woodwork in this place was flawless and intricate with designs of winter and joy. The red and white carpets had all sorts of jolly decorations that were only there to be trampled on. Cinder would have taken more notice if she wasn't so focused on getting out of the damn place. There seemed to be no outside doors, and Cinder wondered how this version of Santa Claus ever left the place.

That's when she had an idea and looked for the nearest staircase. Jumping onto the railing, she slid her way down on the smooth, splinter-free wood. It seemed to spiral downward forever, so Cinder jumped and fell a few feet before grabbing onto the bottom of one railing and swinging herself back onto the stairs. Skimming the stairs a few at a time, she made her way down to a barn-like doorway. Sniffing the air carefully, she knew she came to the right place.

The reindeer were far larger than Cinder had anticipated. And louder; they wouldn't stop making noise as soon as she had stepped onto their floors. At first, she tried to calm one down, but it nearly bit her hand off. Cinder decided it would be better to just follow the walkway until she came around a corner and found a giant wooden structure with what looked like wings. _This must be North's sleigh, it's... different than I imagined._ She marveled at it momentarily until she heard the reindeer begin a second round of whining and huffing and other obnoxious noises. Swearing under her breath, she pulled on a lever and crawled out through a large door that was beginning to lift open.

Cinder pushed off the ground and ran as fast as she could out in the open air. She stopped dead when she saw that although she was outside, she was surrounded by impossibly high ice structures that cut off her view of the rest of the world. _I really am up at the North Pole..._ Cinder thought, crossing her arms. She didn't feel cold but she knew it was easily in the negative numbers in terms of temperature out here. Looking down at her feet, she frowned and wished that she had at least grabbed her shoes and sweater so she didn't look entirely crazy.

"Hey!" Jack's voice called behind her. "What are you doing out here? You don't have shoes or a jacket. You're going to freeze out here!" He came up and walked in front of her. But Cinder just stood there.

"I told you, I don't feel cold," Cinder reminded him without looking in his eyes. She knew if she did that, there was a chance she would begin listening to him. She couldn't have that.

"Just because you don't feel cold doesn't mean your body isn't going to freeze and go into shock and die," Jack reached out for her bare arm but then retracted it.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "You don't get it, Jack. I cannot get cold. Look," Cinder stuck out her arms, "no blacks and blues, no frostbite, not even goose bumps. And I've already been out here a few minutes."

Jack stared at her arms and then back at her. Realization dawned on his features, but Cinder didn't want to explain any further.

"Anyway," Cinder took her arms back and walked around him, "I'm going to go get Jamie while your club argues about the next important holiday or whatever." But before she could get farther away, Jack was standing in front of her again, his staff barring her way.

"Cinder, I've seen your panic attacks," Jack said, "and I don't think you understand what you're doing. Do you really want to go through one of those again?"

The wind picked up its pace and Cinder held up her hand to keep some of her hair from flying in her face. Now was not the time for Jack to be playing the role of a friend.

"Look, you care. I get that. But I need to get Jamie back. His mother is coming home in, like, four days and if she comes home to only one kid, I don't get a paycheck and─"

"You only want to get him back so you can have some money in your pocket?" Jack sounded disgusted with her.

"Okay, I didn't meant to phrase it like that, but─"

"What if Sophie was the one who was kidnapped?"

"I mean, technically, it's the same scenario─"

"I've seen the way you are with her," Jack interrupted Cinder yet again, "you care about her. If Sophie was the one kidnapped by Pitch, wouldn't you do anything to get her back safely?"

Cinder narrowed her eyes. "Since when have you wanted to go along with the other Guardians' plans? You always seemed like the 'I'll do whatever I want' type. Why change that now?"

"Cinder," Jack set his staff on the ground and leaned on it, "you could get hurt. Pitch could destroy you and we'd be no closer to getting him locked away again."

Cinder almost laughed. She knew better than any of them what Pitch was capable of, but she also knew that Pitch wouldn't hurt her. He needed her, or would soon anyway. "I'm not his target," Cinder tried to make it sound like a lie. She had begun to walk away, leaving Jack behind, when he spoke up.

"Wait," Jack stopped her again, his eyes softer, "will you at least answer a question for me before you go?"

"Oh, come on," Cinder pretended to tap a watch on her wrist, "Jamie's not getting saved any faster."

Jack nodded to her chest. "What's the black mark?"

Cinder hadn't expected that. It was a fairly random question, but she knew he had noticed it the other day. He must have been waiting to ask about it. Now was a weird time. Not knowing how to answer, Cinder shrugged and looked past him. Her eyes glazed over momentarily.

"You can tell me, you know," Jack added. "As much as you probably don't want to admit to it, I do consider you a friend. I won't tell anyone, if that's what you want." Cinder was defensive, unsure whether or not Jack was telling the truth.

The same, familiar feeling crept into Cinder's lungs and depleted much of the oxygen. She was trying to play with both sides, thinking that she wouldn't be affected. But here she was, standing in front of the person who was supposed to be her enemy. Cinder realized she had treated him harshly, but she had truly believed up until now that it had been for good reason. Looking in his eyes finally, she saw what she hoped wouldn't be there. His cold, blue eyes told her that they cared and were willing to help her. But for so long, Cinder had denied that sort of help.

And she was about to deny it again.

"Look, I was confident back there that Pitch would come find me because," Cinder paused, choosing her words carefully, "because he knows me. I'm an accident in his fear book, if you will. Terrible metaphor, I know. But the fact is that he would do anything to correct that mistake."

Jack's eyes narrowed and then widened. "He's the reason for your panic attacks...?"

"And I'm the reason he'll relinquish Jamie," Cinder wrapped up her lie neatly and walked around Jack yet again. This time, Jack didn't follow her. She knew that Jack understood the implications of what she just said.

Cinder got to the top of the circular hole and gasped when she saw that the hole went down steeply into a maze of ice passages. Steadying her breath and withdrawing her heat back into herself, she jumped down and slipped and skated through the tunnels. When she finally got out, and was confident that Jack or anyone else hadn't followed her, she flew into the air and sped off.

Cinder took out a snow globe that she had stolen off a table in the meeting room and tossed it in the air in front of her like she had seen Bunny do. She shouted out a destination near Burgess and was instantly transported to the clearing with the large gaping hole. Standing back for a moment, she felt proud of herself for getting the portal thing right on the first try. Hopefully North couldn't trace back his portal's whereabouts. Falling into the tunnel, she reached the cavern with a little more finesse than the first time.

"Pitch!" Cinder yelled. "Pitch, get out here! Damn it!" Cinder kicked at one of the pillars. "You _knew _I was watching these kids! You can't use them for your twisted games!" Fire burned inside her and the cave began to glow in her anger. She felt like beating this guy to a pulp for all of the stuff she'd been put through in the past few days. Who cared if it wasn't entirely his fault? Cinder was furious and she wanted to burn everything down to ashes.

"Cinder!" She heard a faint voice call out below the bridge she was standing on.

"Jamie! Hold on, I'll come to you!"

"Cinder!" Jamie's voice was suddenly behind her. She spun around on her heel to find that he was being held by Pitch's shadows at the edge of the cavern on the side of the bridge. Cinder's heart dropped farther than the cavern depths allowed.

But Cinder didn't answer because behind him, controlling the shadows, was Pitch.

"Cinder," a hint of surprise betrayed Pitch's deep voice, "what lovely circumstances. I was wondering when you'd get my calls."

"What's he talking about, Cinder?" Jamie managed to ask before a shadow covered his mouth again.

Cinder's eyes flickered to the teenage boy momentarily and she saw the uncertainty written on his face. If he knew about Cinder's real connection to Pitch, Jack would know in no time... and so would the Guardians. "Just let the boy go, Pitch."

"I'm hurt," Pitch clutched his chest dramatically, "I thought you were on my side."

"You're on _his_ side?!" Jamie's voice rose.

"Ignore him, Jamie!" Cinder spat urgently. "Pitch, let's talk about this, _alone_."

"My pleasure," Pitch murmured sinisterly. He snapped his fingers and Jamie was carried back down into the depths below. His screams tore at a weight on Cinder's heart and she nearly gasped.

They spoke at length for several hours. Cinder made multiple demands only to be met with more questions by her superior. Pitch instigated Cinder, telling her that she was growing soft and complacent if a little teenage boy was making her upset. Cinder tried to swat at him a few times with her fire, but the attempts were unsuccessful. In one of her outbursts, she told him that she found out about his message to the Guardians and connected the dots when Jamie went missing.

"Who told you?"

Cinder clamped her mouth shut when she realized what she'd done. Jack was the only one that would have told her. "Look, I'll do whatever it takes to get that kid back home," Cinder tried to backtrack, "I can't do work for you if I don't have a cover. Are you forgetting they can still see me?"

"Who told you?" Pitch repeated, his appearance growing darker.

Cinder closed her eyes and let out her breath. She knew she was caught, but Pitch was pulling her into answering his question. "Jack Frost," she said at last.

"And you didn't tell me about this until now because...?" Pitch whispered menacingly.

Then Cinder had an idea. "I thought I could use him to get to the Guardians. I managed to make him take me to the North Pole. That's why I'm here. They believe that I'm rescuing Jamie for their sake."

Pitch was about to hit her with his fearful power and Cinder ducked, waiting for the blow that never struck her. Peering through her hair, she saw that Pitch was looking out into the distance, a smile beginning to take over his features.

"Cinder, darling," he picked her up so that she stood straight and he shook her shoulders, "you are a genius!"

Cinder was surprised by the sudden praise. "So can I have the boy back?"

Pitch's smile disappeared. "No," disgust held in his undertones, "I need him still."

"What if I brought you something? Like the Guardians' weapons," Cinder improvised, remembering the two sharp cutlasses that North had in his possession, "or spied on them? I could get you details that your silly shadows could never figure out."

"My dear, dear, Cinder," Pitch caressed her face with his gray, cold hand, "I've already expected just that of you. But no, I don't need their weapons. You're going to bring me something more... potent." He leaned closer and whispered into Cinder's ear, her eyes growing wide.

"But why? I thought they were worthless!" Cinder looked at him in horror.

"I think, in your case, they're worth the trouble," Pitch walked over to the edge of the precipice and snapped his fingers. Jamie was brought back up to their level and fear for his life was vibrant in his features. Cinder realized he was trying to scream, but he was bound by strange cloth.

"What are you doing to him?!" Cinder leapt toward the boy in a feeble attempt to catch him. But Jamie scrambled away from her. "No, no, it's me, Cinder. I'm going to get you out of here, I promise. Don't listen to this guy," she whispered hastily before Pitch grabbed the back of her shirt and hoisted her in the air. Cinder kicked and swung her arms, failing to connect any of them to the Nightmare King. Frustration crawled through her because she couldn't use her powers in front of Jamie.

Pitch threw Cinder's body downward so that she was partially hanging off the edge. Before she could fall over, he set his foot on her abdomen. "And while you're at it, I've another job for you."

"What," Cinder clutched at his foot as if she had claws, "makes you think I'll follow more orders?"

Pitch looked down at her hand and noticed the ring she always wore was gone. A smile crept into his features. "I think you'll prefer to follow these, rather than facing the other option..."

Cinder's body weakened after the wave of fear hit her. Her throat tightened and she began to cough with the effort it took to expand her lungs. The green specks in her eyes flickered, and slowly churned into a deep, sickly yellow. Cinder stopped struggling. Her hands fell limp as she listened patiently to her instructions.

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><p><strong>AN: I feel like this chapter has too much dialogue, what do you think? Some of my chapters I wrote rather quickly and dialogue is usually much faster. Granted I'm writing Chapter 25 and still well ahead, but I wonder if I'm not degrading the story some. Hopefully that's not the case!**

**By the way, you guys should check out my one-shot, _The Boy Who Cried Wolf!_ It may become a part of the sequel to this story but if not I'll add a story to it. Just take a look and perhaps tell me what you think? :)**

**Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	16. Recurrences

**A/N: AH! Sorry for updating late, guys! It's the weekend before I leave for college again and I've been trying (and failing) to catch up on my work... On the other hand I have drawings of Cinder up on my profile if you want to check it out. :) I also have a drawing of Fenrir from my one-shot (which you should totally check out :D). I'll also have a drawing of another character (from the same one-shot) up shortly. **

**Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong> - _Recurrences_

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><p>When Jack made it back up to the meeting hall, the other Guardians were waiting anxiously. They had bickered about sending Jack with Cinder to lure Pitch in and rescue Jamie when Cinder dashed out of the room with the intent of flying out of there if she could. Jack was still disgruntled about Bunny refusing to let Jack go with her simply because "she distracts him." What did that even mean? Cinder didn't distract him. Jack had been furious about the other Guardians' agreement, and that's when he left to go find the redhead. Her hair had practically been standing on its end when she came through the portal. Jack found it sort of cute at first, but he was quickly upset that she had followed them to the North Pole. Now the Guardians knew where Jack was really spending his time instead of working.<p>

But that didn't matter. Not a whole lot mattered except getting Jamie back and keeping everyone safe. And Jack was already failing the latter. He let Cinder run out in the freezing cold because she felt so strongly about her plan. Jack wasn't going to have any of it, but realization after realization dawned on him as they spoke together.

Cinder did not get cold. She made that clear. Cinder knew Pitch from awhile ago, it seemed like. But more importantly, she had been willing to let Pitch find her again and possibly capture her in a trade for Jamie. In any other circumstance, Jack would never have let a human partake in such a crazy plan. But Jack's doubts were about to spill over and before he could figure out more, Cinder had vanished. He wanted desperately to follow her and help, but he knew being in Pitch's presence would spell doom for her safety. If she was wanted by Pitch, and he saw that they had teamed up, Pitch wouldn't hesitate to hurt her─ or worse.

But Jack didn't want to think about what was worse.

"Where is she, Jack?" Tooth asked worriedly as soon as he walked back into the room. She flew right up to him with the most urgent of looks in her eyes. Baby Tooth flew around both of them in a buzzing frenzy. Tooth's purple eyes told him much more, however, as uncertainty and doubt flooded her features. There was something that she wasn't mentioning to him, at least not in front of the other Guardians.

"I couldn't find her," Jack lied, hoping they would believe him, "she must've taken a portal globe and left."

"Rimsky Korsakov!" North bellowed angrily.

"See? _This _is why we didn't want you goin' with her," Bunny instigated, "you just lost her and she was right next to you!"

"What was that, Cottontail?" Jack aimed his staff at Bunny. The glowering faces given to each other were enough to send chills through everyone's bodies.

Sandy jumped up between them and pushed them away from each other. He shook his head disapprovingly and wagged his finger at them in shame. This was not the time, nor the place, to fight with each other. They were supposed to be working together, and it was the product of their arguing that led to Cinder running off. Then, Sandy turned to Jack and started to sign. Cinder's face was first, and Jack marveled at the detail that Sandy was able to recreate. But before he could fully admire it, the dream sand changed to the next image: &. Then there was a golden replica of Pitch's nightmares and finally a question mark. Jack was unsure about the exact meaning of the question, but he tried to answer.

"How does Cinder know Pitch?" Jack clarified. When Sandy nodded, Jack took a deep breath. "I don't really know. But you saw the scar on her chest, right, guys?"

"That thing was a scar?" Bunny scoffed.

"Did Pitch give her that scar?" Tooth's features worsened yet again. Was Jack imagining it or was there really something deeper written on Tooth's face?

"I would guess so, from what she's told me," Jack affirmed.

Sandy's frown grew and he shook his head solemnly. Golden sand above his head told them that if such was the case, then she was in trouble. But upon seeing Jack's alarmed expression, Sandy put his hands up and slowed them downward in a gesture that meant to calm down. Then more sand impressed images above the Sandman's head that said perhaps Pitch would not recognize her. It didn't ease Jack's mind, for now he was troubled with the fact that his initial feelings were validated by one of the oldest Guardians. That type of wisdom is seldom wrong.

"Say, Jack," North began cautiously, "how come she is believer?"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. At first, the question didn't make sense, because Jack had already assented to the fact that Cinder could see him, despite her age, and had gotten used to it. When it came right down to it, however, Jack noticed how she hadn't believed in him at first. Did she not believe in any of them? "She's not really a believer," Jack admitted, "but she can see us."

The Guardians all exchanged looks. Each furtive look strengthened intensely and lines were beginning to crease in their foreheads. Eventually, they all looked to Sandy. Twiddling his thumbs, Sandy pursed his lips and thought a moment. Two opinions were pining for his approval, and it seemed like he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Either could be right, but some details clearly weren't adding up for him. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded gravely. All the while, Jack stood there, leaning on his staff in confusion.

"What? What is it?" Jack spoke with annoyance creeping into his voice.

"You couldn't tell, Jack?" Tooth pushed.

"Tell what?"

"That sheila ain't human, mate," Bunny clarified. "I can't believe it took me this long ta realize it myself."

"Her teeth didn't match up to anything I have for eighteen-year-olds," Tooth added. And she kept her teeth _very_ organized.

"And she's never been on list in past eighteen years, nice or naughty," North pointed out as well.

"But that's impossible! Cinder─"

"How would you know, Jack? How long 'ave you known her, ay?" Bunny interrupted. "An', an', an' look 'ere, she burned my paw with her hand. Her skin was _hot_," Bunny held up the paw he had tried to take Cinder's bare arm with. Fur was missing and the skin did look red.

Jack was entirely confused. Then he looked at his own arm, pulling up the sleeve tenderly. The other Guardians stared at his arm, eyes wide with disbelief. The long, gash-like burns still raked up to his elbow, although it didn't hurt anymore. At least, it didn't hurt as much for the moment. When Cinder was closer, his arm had begun to ache and it never settled well with him. He usually brushed it off, but now things were starting to come together. Perhaps...

"What's that, Jack?" Tooth's little voice asked shakily.

"That's what happened when I tried to take her hand," Jack explained, "sort of like Bunny's paw. But... at the same time this happened, her arm froze. Her entire arm was encased in ice that I didn't make."

"Zum sort of hyper-reaction, no?" North ventured.

"Blimey..." Bunny swore, "she's gotta that bloody fire spirit that burned down that town! And we just let her run back to Pitch!" He started hopping anxiously.

"No, it can't be," Jack shook his head, although his voice wasn't sure. Before Jack's eyes, Cinder's face appeared. It was the same as the night he made it snow in Jamie's kitchen. The same face that softened, smiled, and even beamed at him. She was bathed in moonlight, her red hair a pale color in the dim light cast by his white snow. The look of pure wonder that captivated her features and cast her green eyes upon his blue ones was as active as if it were happening in that moment all over again. There was no way, he repeated to himself. Cinder could never, would never, do anything to hurt children. Or at least not Jamie and Sophie, but Jack liked to think that her character applied to all people. Not once did he think that Cinder would ever harm Sophie.

"It can't be. She would never harm Jamie or Sophie," Jack said with more confidence. "Bunny, you saw her with Sophie, right? Sophie didn't get burned by Cinder."

"Nor did she burn my hand." North agreed. For once, Jack felt like his opinion was getting somewhere.

"How can a spirit─ if she is one─ be seen by humans then?" Jack asked. "She's not someone with a story, a recognizable name; children don't call out her name and cheer, like they would if they saw one of you guys." Jack winced inwardly at his own words, knowing he didn't include himself in that description hurt. "They see her as one of them. And she's only eighteen, there's no way she─"

"An' how do we know that, ice-brain?" Bunny asked pointedly. When Jack didn't answer, he continued. "Tooth said she didn't have the sheila's teeth."

"She said there was no record─ maybe Cinder's lying by a year or two. Tooth, help me out?" But when Jack turned to where Tooth had been hovering, the other Guardians noticed that Tooth was gone. She probably had more teeth-collecting matters to attend to. Except now was a crucial time to have left. "Tooth?"

_She wouldn't leave so suddenly like this unless she had an idea. Maybe I should go and talk to her._

"Does not matter so much right now," North cut in. "Now is when we wait for her return. Jack, you said she had to pick up de little girl, yes?"

"Yeah... but she's sort of rescuing Jamie at the moment." Jack wasn't sure if anyone else believed him. Again.

"Either is good. Wait for her at house. Let us know when she returns and bring her here."

"Why do I have to do the escorting?" Jack pointed to Bunny. "Wasn't it Bunny's turn before Jamie went missing?"

"An' who's the one responsible for this mess, Jack?" Bunny said accusingly. "Maybe she planned it so that Jamie would get kidnapped."

"Why would she plan something that makes her suspicious?" Jack was becoming argumentative.

"Jack. Go. Now," North tossed one globe in front of him that opened a portal to Burgess and put another one in Jack's hands, pushing Jack through the portal.

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><p>Tooth was frantically flying around her palace, looking through every tooth case she still kept from Jack's time. What the other Guardians didn't know was that she didn't always release the memories of the dead. Sometimes she liked to keep them and look through their events. They were filled with a thousand pieces of happiness that she could never fully enjoy herself. She was dedicated to all of the teeth, but some held a special feeling within her. She hoped that the same feeling was in a tooth case that held Jack's missing tooth. The tooth had to have been extracted around the same time as his human life.<p>

_Jack can't know a tooth is missing. Who knows how he'd react? He could be furious, or depressed, or scared, or, or, or..._

Tooth shook her head. She had to stop being so negative. Jack's tooth _was_ collected, it just wasn't collected properly. It must have been put in another kid's case.

But did that mean someone else had pieces of Jack's memories?

Yet as extensively as she looked─ which was extensively extensive─ she couldn't find a single tooth out of place.

Little did she know, the thing that she was looking for had already been moved.

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><p>Jack fell out of the portal clumsily and his staff was knocked out of his reach and tossed against a wall. The carpet that he glided on gave his shins a slight rug burn. Hitting his head hard against the floor several times, the environment swirled around him momentarily. When everything slowed, Jack propped himself on his hands and shook his head, gathering information about where he was. There was a bed, several hockey and sports posters, and a desk with many crumpled papers. At first Jack couldn't make heads or tails of the room until he saw a familiar hockey jersey. He had been transported directly into Jamie's room. Jack figured as much, it was the only room in this house that North had been in and would have known the exact coordinates. North was very good at controlling his portals, something Jack and the other Guardians had a hard time comprehending. Standing up finally, he brushed himself off and checked his legs. If they were hurt, it didn't show. Jack shrugged it off, retrieved his staff, and sat on Jamie's bed, tapping his feet furiously.<p>

The Guardians finally believed _some _of the words that were coming out of Jack's mouth, but not the ones he hoped that they would. They were blaming Cinder for Jamie disappearance, but Jack didn't have the heart to tell them about the tears in her eyes or the fear in her voice when she came running to him in profuse apology. Her tearful face softening when she hugged him came to the forefront of his memory again. She couldn't kill anyone. She couldn't work for Pitch.

Cinder was trading herself for Jamie. Surely they all realized this, right?

Jack tilted his staff forward and leaned it against his lowered head in thought. How could he have let her run off to such a fate? Her confidence in rescuing Jamie was so genuine.

But that didn't mean the facts weren't adding up. Cinder wasn't shivering outside the North Pole, despite having no shoes or sweater. Cinder's touch scorched Jack's hand. Cinder's tooth record wasn't in the right place. Cinder wasn't on any Guardian's list. Perhaps she wasn't human...

But so what? She was someone Jack's age that could see him. If she was actually a spirit, that made it even better, right? They could stay friends and always be able to see each other. Jack wouldn't be constantly alone when the few kids that could see him weren't around. Just because there was a small chance that she was a spirit (Jack couldn't bring himself to believe that it was much more than a small chance, but some part of him knew better than that), didn't mean that she worked for Pitch. The only thing that would indicate such a conclusion would be that she knew him from a long time ago, when he gave her that scar.

_How did he give her that scar? _

Nothing made sense. Jack wanted to affirm with all of his being that Cinder wasn't who they thought she was. But the way that it looked right now, Cinder would be taken under investigation by North. At the very least, she was under suspicion.

Hating being alone with his thoughts, Jack left the room and closed the door. He walked around each room of the house, memorizing each contour halfheartedly. Anything he could do to not think about the current situation would have been welcome. The hallway was lit in pale afternoon light that softened the edges of doors and walls. The window's curtains moved slightly as Jack passed, and he paused to watch the patterns swirl with each fold. He tipped his staff under the curtain and held it up to his face momentarily. The lace held intricate patterns that held no real meaning within its negative spaces. Jack blew on the gentle fabric and watched as crystalline structures filled in the spaces between the threads. It was enough to fill the void, but not enough to leave the curtain frozen stiff. Jack twirled the head of his staff so that the curtain would fall back into place, but a piece was caught in a frayed piece of the wood. Tilting his head tentatively, he pinched the lace and lifted it around the obstruction in his staff, letting it glide down to the window.

It was then that he saw a flash of red. He instantly stuck his face and hands to the glass, frosting it immediately. Wiping away some of his own work, he looked around. Jack prayed to whoever could hear him that it had been Cinder. That she had gotten Jamie back here and that they were safe. But no, the red that had flickered through his vision was nothing but the red wagon that never left the Bennett's back yard. The wind had pushed some of the snow away, making the wagon visible once more. Frowning, Jack pulled away and walked down the hallway again, studying everything, from the minor details in the tacky wallpaper to the individually colored threads in the carpet that ran to the door at the end.

Not knowing what the door went to, nor particularly caring, he took the knob and opened it anyway. Inside was a boring closet. Mostly empty, excepting an old broom, mop, and several boxes. Satisfied with his less-than-satisfying inquiry, he closed the door and turned to the next door. If he was remembering right, it led to Sophie's room.

As he opened the door, the smell of Play-Doh filled his nostrils and Jack blinked in surprise and the ghost of a smile spread on his features. Sophie was still so young, and acted younger, as far as Jack could tell. She held onto childhood for all her might, which Jack always thought was odd. Normally, children couldn't wait to grow up. Sophie was much like Jack in that neither particularly wanted to grow up. Perhaps she would keep believing in him when she got older...

Shaking the thought from his mind, he walked through the middle of the room. That was the only place to really walk to in the room because toys masked the rest of the floor. Her bed covers were torn away from the bed in so many directions that Jack wasn't sure how many sheets there actually were. It was so messy in here that Jack wondered how she ever got ready in the morning. Of course, the room being a mess probably wasn't a big deal to Sophie. She had all the toys and stuffed animals in the world to comfort her. Leaping over to her bed, Jack glided down with minimal effort into a sitting position. Sophie was so akin to Jack's sister that it took his balance right from under him.

That's when Jack saw the drawing. It was tacked to the wall next to her bed, above an art piece that Jack could only assume was the finished product of what she asked Cinder to help her with. The drawing was crude and colored in with crayons, but Jack could make out the figures. It looked to be the pond, colored a light blue, surrounded by brown lines that Jack assumed were trees. Off on the corner of the paper was a stick figure with brown strokes of hair and a pink tongue sticking out. Jack laughed, instantly thinking of Jamie. On the pond were three stick figures. The stick figure on the right was blue and was holding a staff, making a very wide smile. Jack chuckled at himself as his eyes continued to move to the other figures. The last two figures looked they were hugging or holding hands, and both were outlined black. The smaller one was given yellow crayon hair strokes and the larger was given an orange color. They were all smiling, and the orange one was holding one arm out toward Jack. Above the three figures in the middle was a small, lopsided heart, colored a bright red.

Jack frowned as he realized what he was looking at and he walked out of the room. He wouldn't allow the thoughts to pervade his mind, even if they were already flooding in front of his eyes. Blinded, he walked into the next room he saw and fell on the bed, waiting for the panic to blow over. If this is what a panic attack was like, he'd have to hug Cinder tightly the next time he saw her, provided she was wearing her gloves and no skin was showing. This wasn't fun at all, and it scared him. His throat swelled and he coughed. Halting everything for a moment, he inhaled the sweet, warm scent coming from the sheets beneath him. Something about them felt like a memory.

Then it flooded back into his consciousness again. The yellow eyes, the burly man, the floating cloak, everything from that first attack was washing over him like new. His mother and sister were crying for him somewhere in the distance that he couldn't see. Opening his eyes, Jack was found to be in the middle of a clearing lit by something above. Around the clearing were thousands of thick pine trees. It vaguely reminded him of Burgess three hundred years ago, but it wasn't quite the same. He heard his sister's voice again. _Jaaaack, Jaaaack!_ He ran to one end of the clearing but stopped abruptly when the light didn't follow him. If he followed the voice, he would be swallowed up by the pine forest. His mother's wails were heard and Jack's heart wrenched from listening. Tearing into the darkness, he ran for them blindly. He called out to them over and over and over and nothing was given in answer. Jack halted and turned around, deciding he was being stupid and would head back to the clearing.

But as he looked forward, there was a shiny black wall barely an inch from his nose. Jack whipped around on his heels and saw that he was enclosed in a small room, with black yet translucent walls mirroring him. Looking closer, Jack saw the boy staring back at him had brown hair and was wearing a lightly colored shirt with a brown vest and a cloak slung over his shoulders. Jack blinked, and the boy blinked back, the same lost expression on their faces. Suddenly, Jack peered down, but he was still wearing his same blue frosted sweatshirt.

"We're still the same," the reflection spoke, shattering the illusion of the mirror. "But you've forgotten, haven't you?"

"Where are they?" Jack demanded. "Where's my mother? Where's my sister?"

"You left them TO DIE!" the human version of Jack yelled. "They needed you!"

"I _saved_ my sister!" Jack insisted. "She was _safe_. I died so that she would live!"

"Did you not think about the others in the village? The ones that cared about you? What happened to them after you died?" the shadow instigated Jack.

Jack gritted his teeth, knowing that he couldn't answer. He couldn't remember something like that _after_ he died. He didn't even remember anything about them from before he died.

"And what about the fire?" Brown eyes flared in mischief at the distraught spirit.

"What fire?" Jack lunged after his reflection only to smack right into the wall painfully.

The apparition appeared on the opposite wall, a hurt look on his face. "You died before it engulfed your house. And your poor sister was inside..."

A landscape formed behind the figure, and Jack saw his house in flames. Their cries rang out and yellow eyes appeared in the woods off to the left. Jack swore that the faintest bit of red was glowing around the sinister look.

"Who was that?" Jack held his hands to the wall, watching the events unfold. The reflection said nothing and made the vision fade away. "Why..." Jack's voice trailed off, thick and heavy with an unfair guilt. "I saved her... I... I know I did..."

His human reflection kept his eyes downcast. "They had to die sometime, you know."

Jack spun around in frustration only to find himself in the clearing once again.

Screaming, Jack awoke on Cinder's bed, a pillow over his face. Tearing it away from him, it shot away and smacked heavily against the wall, frozen stiff. His staff was on the ground, lying carelessly over a heap of clothing. Jack got up and stumbled over to his staff with great effort. The nightmare wasn't fading easily, and his staff comforted him. Picking it up, however, Jack noticed that the staff was caught on a thick brown fabric. Not thinking anything of it, Jack leaned down and was about to discard the piece when he realized how heavy it was. Setting the staff down, he picked up the heavy brown piece of clothing. He gasped when he looked at it in full. It looked exactly like Jack's human cloak. Inspecting it carefully, he saw that a hood made of the same fabric had been sown on. It was a fairly large hood, and inside he saw a few hair fibers. Plucking one up, he held it to the light streaming in through the window. It was bright orange, and Jack smirked. Why would Cinder, of all people, have such a heavy piece of clothing? Surely she had no use for it. And yet, it looked just like the one that he discarded so long ago, or maybe something more recent...?

Then Jack realized that the sun's rays were lower than when he got to the house. He ran back to the bed and looked at the clock. It read 6:30am. Jack's jaw dropped. His nightmare had lasted throughout the night? It was hardly 4:30pm when Jack was shoved through North's portal into this house. How was that possible? And where was Cinder? Had she failed to rescue Jamie?

That's when Jack heard a loud, clattering noise that shook the house. Stunned, Jack dropped the cloak and ran out of the room. A second later he ran back in, grabbed his staff, and then ran back into the hallway. Jumping over the entire staircase, he hardly hit the ground before gliding right into the living room.

There on the ground was Cinder, holding Jamie so close Jack was afraid she had crushed him.

"Jamie!" Jack ran over to them and pulled Cinder's death grip off of Jamie with his staff. Leaning down, Jack hugged Jamie so tightly that he couldn't imagine letting go. "Jamie! Are you okay? What happened? Where's Pitch?"

"Jack..." Jamie's eyes were wide and sunken in, like he hadn't slept in days. "Jack... You're here. We've got to hurry... Pitch! And Cinder... Cinder! She's... Cinder's..."

"She─ she's what? Cinder's what?" Jack knelt down beside them. Looking down at Cinder's body, Jack realized what Jamie was trying to say.

Cinder lay motionless. Quick, shallow breaths were barely heard beyond her trembling lips. She was staring out to where Jack couldn't see. But what he could see was that one of Cinder's eyes was a bright, broken yellow. It was uninhibited by the iris and swirled around in the sclera, black specks passing in and out of visibility. The other eye remained the same green as before, but now it was glazed over with a stillness that sickened Jack.

Cinder was dying.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just to let you know, I'm a cliffhanger junkie and this will happen often in my chapters. Hehehe!**


	17. Free Will Fleeting

**Chapter 17 **- _Free Will Fleeting_

* * *

><p>An image filled Cinder's mind. It was a golden cylinder with brilliant mottled blues, purples, and greens dancing around like tiny diamonds on a cover that dipped into the top part. On the bottom circle, a face stared back at her. The eyebrows were straight and close together in an apologetic look. The eyes─ an intense jade green─ stared at her with a glint of sorrow. The copper hair that parted down the right side waved and curled in random patterns, securing the frame of her face in a soft orange glow. The lips were pulled to one corner in a small smirk; one that suggested insight, regret, and perhaps a spark of something else. Cinder knew instantly where to find it. Pitch told her so. She didn't question his sudden knowledge.<p>

Cinder stole a pair of sunglasses from an unsuspecting store and made her way out of Burgess. Without comprehending her actions, she found herself flying high a moment later. Her head was swimming in a thousand different directions and none of them had a bright idea. It was like her senses had been heightened, but her mind had dulled. The wind beat at her shirt, the rims cutting into the sides of her arms. _Don't do this. You have no reason to. Don't do this._

What voice was that? Cinder scoffed and urged herself onward without knowing why.

Not fully in control of her flight path, her head bobbled from the gale's forces. The sunglasses were gluing themselves to the bridge of her nose, cutting into her forehead and giving her a dull throb. But they were necessary. Her eyes were still a dull, swirling yellow that looked at nothing in particular. Some part of her knew she was being controlled, but another part said that this was what she wanted. This was what she needed. Her teeth─ and her memories─ were so close.

Why else was she getting her teeth? The various reasons vied for her attention, but she shook them off lazily.

_Jamie... Sophie... Jack... Walker..._

Arriving at what she knew to be the Tooth Palace, Cinder landed on a small outcrop just outside one of the many large colorful platforms. Sitting with her back against rough rock, she let out a deep breath and waited for her vision to return to normal. She took off the sunglasses and peered into the lenses, trying to catch her reflection carefully. Were her eyes still yellow?

Seeing that they were, Cinder sighed and put the sunglasses back on, and then let her hands fall to her sides. If she was seen, she'd rather not let it be known to the world who she worked for. Yellow-eyed spirits generally didn't have good reputations (Sandy being an exception). She lifted her head up and tilted it back, staring into the sky with dull recognition flickering in her irises. She had been here before, but she couldn't remember why. Random memories floated in and out of her consciousness daily, how was she to know what was real? It didn't matter at this moment. She only needed one tooth case. Hers.

And where the hell was she going to find hers in the little time allotted her when it took Jack three hundred years to get his?

The idea of Jack invaded her thoughts, even through the tight control. She wondered where he was now, because surely the Guardians couldn't have been happy with him letting her escape. Then his words clattered in her head and she held her hand to her temples. For some reason, his honesty shook her consciousness, or whatever was left of it, and she nearly made it through the fog. _This was so much easier when I was drunk_.

Cinder stood up carefully and hopped onto the nearest tooth platform. Closing her eyes, she recalled the image of the golden case again. She mentally flipped it so that she could see the face. Cinder even swore that she could hear the teeth rattling inside. The sweet sound beckoned to her and a smirk spread into a smile on her face. A path was called forth, and when her eyes reopened, Cinder had an inkling of where to check.

But before she could jump down, an insanely fast string of squeaks and chirps hummed about her and she was forced to back up from the edge. Baby Tooth was in front of her now, incredulity written all over her tiny features.

"Baby Tooth!" Cinder was caught off guard. "It's nice to see you again! I'm sure you're upset about my absence as well, but I can assure you─"

Baby Tooth cut her off with another retort, shaking her tiny finger at the redhead.

Cinder sighed, knowing this was going to be difficult to explain. "Look, I need my teeth. Do you think you could dig 'em out for me?" Cinder flashed a grin.

Baby Tooth raised a miniscule eyebrow and muttered a few things. She then flew right into Cinder's face and peered into the sunglass lenses. She poked at it, making Cinder wince despite the fact that her eye was safe from Baby Tooth's little fingers. Then Baby Tooth gripped the side of the frame and tried to pull it off her face. Cinder shrunk away from the tiny fairy.

"Noooo, no, no, no," Cinder laughed nervously, "I'm in disguise."

Baby Tooth looked as if belief was beyond reach for her.

"I have an idea about how to confront Pitch, but I need my tooth case. I need my memories."

Baby Tooth still wouldn't have herself fooled. She chirped sharply, as if to ask "why?!" in desperation.

Cinder bit her lip, wishing that Pitch had better lies when she was under his control. In a muster of what little strength she had, she loosened his grip and began speaking what came to her mind.

"Baby Tooth, please," Cinder pouted, "this is for Jamie. He needs me. Pitch can't do anything with my teeth, but he doesn't know that. He'll think it's a fair trade. You know: the memories of the girl who escaped his Fear for the Last Light? I'm sure Jack told you about it." Cinder made sure her voice broke in certain places and that a tear escaped down her cheek for good measure.

Baby Tooth's expression softened and she hummed soothingly, wiping away Cinder's tear. Her squeaks became quieter, but she still shook her head. It didn't sound like a good plan. Cinder couldn't completely understand what Baby Tooth was trying to say, but she was sure she could guess.

"I can steal them back from him, if this works. If I can get Jamie out from under his watch, then I can grab the measly little case."

_And what if it doesn't?_ Baby Tooth's brows were practically knit together.

Cinder inhaled and shook her head. "It will work. It will. But I'm going to need your help, okay?" Cinder proceeded to describe the tooth case and where to find it.

Baby Tooth thought about it, and nodded slowly. It didn't sound like that was Cinder's case...

She was about to fly off when Cinder muttered "psst." Baby Tooth looked back questioningly.

"It'd be nice if you could grab it without Tooth noticing, okay?"

Baby Tooth rolled her eyes and flew off. Cinder hoped to whoever was looking down on this that Baby Tooth was acting on her word─ or, promise, rather. She didn't exactly use words, per se.

When Baby Tooth came back carrying a golden case far larger than she, Cinder's face grew exponentially happier. Then, in a sudden rush of mind control, her smile turned into a sneer and she snatched the case, knocking Baby Tooth away.

"Catch ya later, tiny fairy," Cinder's voice became multifaceted as she bowed. Falling downward, she called to the wind and flew off.

In Pitch's rush to get Cinder's teeth, he'd forgotten that he had been directly controlling Cinder's actions at that moment. Baby Tooth, recovering from her head hitting the side of the platform, was coherent enough to look over the side and see a wild redhead flying away in the distance. She rubbed her eyes to make sure, and when it was confirmed, she flew back into the palace to find Tooth. She needed to hear about this.

* * *

><p>Cinder tucked her tooth case in a small cavern in a mountain close by, promising that she would return to by the end of the night. She walked out of it and flew off into the night, completing Pitch's last task. It was one of the grandest jobs she'd ever been given, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste. She hadn't set fire to anything in a few days, anyway. This would make up for that, the four lonely years, and more.<p>

Flying high into the air so that she was little more than the size of starlight, Cinder allowed the fire to burst from within herself. Her being flared alight, casting out bright beams of fire. Using the sudden burst, she inhaled and brought all of the fire back into her curled arms. Gathering all of the heat, she felt the pressure build up inside her, contracting her muscles and pulling her face into a devilish grin. This was going to be fun. Cinder's neck twitched in excitement as more and more energy was being prepared. She could tell her yellow eyes were glowing brighter, casting off several beams into the early night. When enough power welled inside, she focused her entire mentality to the ground far below her feet. She could feel it rising, rising, rising. It was breaking through the crumbling rock and soil.

It reminded Cinder of the first few lessons that she had with Pitch. She had been starting to get the hang of feeling the constant heat in her body, and was up and about more often than not. Unfortunately, Pitch had only come back to the cabin at night, though only every few nights rather than every single one. The nights that he was there, he would bring her out and instruct her to do random mundane tasks. But they were harder than Cinder imagined because fire was more difficult to control than she thought.

One of the first tasks she had to do was fill a bucket with water from the nearby stream. After complaining that she could do more and that she wasn't some idiot, Cinder grabbed the bucket in haste from his arms and stomped down the hill. But before she reached the bottom, she had melted the handle to the bucket. Angrily, she walked back to Pitch and scowled, knowing he was snickering at her. He held out another bucket and made her try again. This time, she was able to get to the stream and fill the bucket. But every time she took the bucket out of the stream, the water evaporated and wafted through the air, mocking her. That had annoyed her after the third time, and she burned through the handle and the bottom of the buck. Infuriated, she ran back to Pitch and grabbed the next bucket he was already holding out for her. This went on for a few hours, Cinder never getting any closer to accomplishing the task. In her final attempt, she melted the entire bucket into a heaping pile of orange-hot mess and threw it into the ground. Then she focused her heat into the stream and dried it up instantaneously. The water and rocks and sky all disappeared. She was blind in anger and didn't know that anything else had happened.

Pitch showed up and asked what it was she was doing. When Cinder replied, she turned around and saw that her feet had scorched so much earth that she had made a giant hole, and her feet were wading in something. Angrily thinking that it was water that eluded her evaporation, she looked down and gasped. Not only had she burned downward, but she had brought magma _upward_. She was standing in _lava_, and _not burning_. Was that possible? Apparently so. Out of the corner of her eye, Cinder thought she saw black streaks flying around. But when she turned her attention toward them, they were gone. Returning her shocked expression upward, Cinder saw Pitch applauding her.

_I was going to teach you that after the basics of control, but you've done nicely. You'll be ready sooner than you think_, Pitch had said. Those words had made Cinder so happy. Pitch hardly ever gave out compliments, and this one was more than just a nod or a smile.

_Really?_ Cinder had honestly been in shock the entire time.

_I believe in you._

These words brought her back to the present time with a smirk. She was ready.

Flicking her arm out to the side, her fire's energy was released from the ground and the volcano erupted violently. Cinder's arm quivered from the immense output, but it held its place as she summoned yet more lava to burst forth and cascade down the mountainside. As it touched the pine trees, the smoke curled into the air and she threw the sunglasses away in a rush of ecstasy. Seeing that the trees were catching fire, Cinder flew down underneath the bare tree line and stopped just above the cascading disaster. She spread her fingertips and the flames willingly flickered toward her, circling around her arms and caressing her in a heated embrace.

Cinder no longer cared that this job was Pitch's idea. In that moment, it was hers and she owned it and she thoroughly enjoyed every living moment of it.

Granted, the lava was heading directly for the base of the Tooth Palace and the flames would only climb upward through the ranks. But that part Cinder could not care less about; that was Pitch's domain. Something caught in her throat suddenly, however, and before she could watch anymore of the events unfolding, she choked back tears and flew away, grabbing her tooth case in a blind haste.

When she was far enough away, Cinder let herself fall to the ground beside a small pond. Tumbling onto the grass, she waited for her eyes to stop stinging. Cinder rubbed her eyes vigorously in the vain attempt to regain sight. The smoke had had an effect on her once the panic had begun. Laying on the ground and staring up at the stars, she felt smaller than before. The sky was suddenly a thick blanket that was fluttering down on top of her, suffocating her. Her chest heaved with the perceived weight and the sound of the water became a giant wave that crashed into her rattled consciousness. Sobbing, she waited for the panic to subside. It wasn't the same kind of panic that Pitch used to call her. This was something else, and it was just something that she had to wait out. After a few antagonizing minutes, she checked her eyes in the water's reflection even though the panic hadn't left her.

They were green once again.

* * *

><p>Finally reaching Pitch's old layer, she plummeted down the tunnel in a furious tumble. Rocks and roots were grazing her arms, legs, and her cheeks, pricking the skin and sending beads of blood to the surface. The whips and cracks around her sounded like they were inside her and all around her and her body was breaking down. Her panic wasn't settling─ and she had a feeling that Pitch knew.<p>

Cinder fell to the ground with a sickening thud because she did not have any orientation nor form when the tunnel walls widened around her. If it weren't for the fact that she wasn't human, her ankle, pelvis, and spine would all be shattered, not to mention her head might have been split open.

As she slowly stood up, a dark chuckle resounded off the cavern and bounced at her from every direction. Coughing out the last of her dizzy spell, she simply looked over the vast space with a nonchalant look pasted to her face. She wasn't giving Pitch this small victory.

"Come on out, Pitch," Cinder tried to sound bored, "I did what you wanted me to, and I have what you want."

All sound was silenced.

"Pitch!" Cinder was starting to get annoyed. If Pitch tried to send her on _another _job, she was going to punch him. Not that it would do any good because he would just morph into the shadows, but perhaps she could get the jump on him. Her legs itched to form a fighting stance and she couldn't keep her fingers still at her side, but she forced herself to wait it out. Pitch had to show up.

But when the deafening silence continued for a few more minutes, Cinder was suddenly hyperaware of everything that surrounded her. Everything that she experienced was external and her mind was in little salient control. Setting her tooth case underneath some rocky alcove, Cinder walked along the bridge and onto one of the side passages, her hips absentmindedly bumping against the wall. She was focusing her entire being on her actions. Every step was a methodical tap on the hardened earth beneath her. Her arms swayed in the opposite way that her feet moved, proportional and exact. Ever breath was measured: inhale for four footfalls, nothing for two, and exhale for another four. Cinder could feel every cell in her body, and every consequence of her motions. The blood pounded in her ears despite her best efforts to remain calm and she stared at her feet as she made her way around various obstacles. Stalactites and stalagmites formed gruesome teeth that barred her way every so often, making her change course and start her version of meditation over again.

She was so focused that she nearly missed the whimpering sobs echoing above her. Vaguely alerted, Cinder looked around her. In the dim light, she recognized a dangling appendage from the floor above her. She reached up tentatively and poked it. _It_ happened to be an arm, and a small, surprised yelp was heard in response. Convinced on her hunch, she spoke softly.

"Jamie?" Cinder stuck her neck out over the chasm as far as she could. "Jamie, is that you?"

Scrambling, scuttling noises were heard momentarily, then nothing more.

"Jamie, it's me, Cinder," she held a hand up above her head in the hopes that he would see it, "Jamie, please─ answer me!" Her voice was becoming strained from trying to be loud enough to be heard by Jamie but quiet enough that Pitch wouldn't notice if he happened to be in the near vicinity.

Hearing a faint sound of recognition, Cinder hoped he would come into vision. When he didn't, Cinder sighed and squatted, aiming her jump. _I swear to whatever's out there, if Pitch mentally scarred this boy, I'm going to murder him. Murder him beyond death._ Releasing her energy, she jumped and tried to grab onto the platform. Her grasp slipped, however, and she was about to fall really, really far down. If worse came to worse, she could have flown, but she couldn't let Jamie see that. Cinder wanted to preserve the Jamie's assumption that she was human for as long as she could.

But then something clutched her wrist, yanking it almost out of socket. Cinder winced at the pain but looked up to see Jamie's hand wrapped around, his knuckles gleaming white. At first, Cinder was relieved, but then she saw his eyes. Jamie was hardly aware of anything, his eyes were glazed and distant, and his nails were digging into Cinder's skin. Taking the hint, she swung herself up onto the ledge, only to find that natural formations in the rock made bars in the side of the cavern, effectively putting Jamie inside a dismal cage.

"Jamie," Cinder breathed out at last, "Oh Jamie, you're okay!" Her shoulders dropped from her recent efforts.

"Cinder...?" Jamie was confused. "What are you doing here? Do you have any food? I haven't eaten in... I don't know how long." His voiced trudged lazily along, slurring.

"What did that damned guy do to you?" Cinder hissed, not pleased in the slightest. "Do you know where he is?"

Jamie looked down in abstract thought. "He said you worked for him..."

"No," Cinder answered too quickly, "no, no, no. I don't. He's a liar. You of all people would know that. Right? He tried to tear apart all of the children of the world, and _you_ stopped him. Don't tell me he got the best of you now!"

Jamie cleared his throat several times. "I don't really know what's been happening. It's so─" Jamie was seized by some invisible panic and Cinder could see his eyes widening in fear from some unknown stimulus. It tore at Cinder's heart before she could realize what effect it had on her to see this kid suffering. If what Jack had said about Sophie being kidnapped, instead of Jamie, been true... Cinder didn't want to think about it. Her chest became heavy, but she ignored it. Reaching through the bars, she grasped Jamie's hand tightly. He looked up at her suddenly and almost slapped her away when Cinder spoke again.

"It's frightening, I know," Cinder soothed Jamie, who had calmed down considerably, "please, don't try and remember it right now. I'm going to get you out of here. Pitch can't keep you here anymore."

Jamie recalled something immediately after the words left Cinder's mouth. "You took the job?"

Cinder was taken aback. "You know?"

"I remember Pitch telling you to retrieve something, and then you just... left..." Jamie's memory appeared to be failing him. "What was it he had you do?"

Not wanting to relay the information, Cinder was about to come up with a lie when she became forced against the bars, imprinting their crags on her light skin and drawing little beads of blood in places that were sharp. Her breath flew out of her lungs and Jamie ran up to her, uselessly trying to help. Cinder shook her head as best she could and made him back off. Cinder grabbed the bars with her hands and pushed herself away from them. Realizing what it was, she threw a cautious look at Jamie before leaping off the platform. Jamie called out to her, only to see that she landed just below and was now walking to the wider area that led to the bridge. But what Jamie couldn't see was the innate fear that spread through her limbs as surely as her fire did.

"Pitch!" Cinder called out. "I know that was you! Come out, you damn coward!" Her voice echoed and her anger began to well up inside, despite using her best efforts to keep the flames subdued.

"Ah, Cinder..." Pitch's spectral voice emanated behind her, "How lovely of you to return so soon! I trust that the mission went smoothly?"

Cinder turned around to see Pitch out and in her sight. "Yes, yes, it was fine. Here's the damn case," Cinder knelt down and pulled out the tooth case from its hiding spot and tossed it to him. Pitch caught it with a deft flick of the wrist and peered downward without moving his head, inspecting the case. Apparently satisfied, he tucked it into his robe. "You have what you want. Now let me have the damn boy."

"You certainly love that word, don't you?" Pitch avoided her request. "It's not very ladylike."

"Let Jamie go," Cinder stood her ground, "You said you would after I did this for you."

Pitch's unconcerned face smirked at her words. "Is it _completely_ burned?"

Cinder, knowing Pitch chose his words carefully, glanced furtively in Jamie's direction. She couldn't see his face, but she hoped with all her heart that he didn't think about the question's meaning too much. "I assure you, the job is done. They'll have been alerted any moment now."

"And tell me," Pitch continued, snapping his fingers and sending shadows to retrieve the frightened boy and bring him down to their level. When Jamie didn't comply, Pitch's shadows shoved the boy toward the bars and forced him to look at Cinder. "Why should I keep my word?"

"If you want me to keep work─" Cinder cut herself off, noticing Jamie's intent features locked on hers. "I did what you said, for the thousandth time. And you have my tooth case. What do you even need those for?"

Pitch's facial response made Cinder' stomach fall to the floor. Her shock was quickly replaced with fury. How could she have not seen she was falling into a trap? Cinder knew, somewhere deep down, that she had always been Pitch's tool and had accepted that as fact. But taking away Jamie was taking away her only freedom and choice in her long, unfortunate life. Taking care of Jamie and Sophie for only a few short days made her feel closer to human than she had ever felt. Perhaps that was her one fault, among many, that kept her subdued.

"Do I even get to look at them? My memories?" The thought hadn't occurred to her that she could have opened the case during her mission─ Pitch's control hadn't allowed that. "To know who I was?"

"I told you," Pitch took out the case and turned it around in his hand, "they've no value for you. Me, on the other hand..."

Cinder lashed out in a spurt of anger, ignoring Jamie's cries to stop. She launched herself toward her case and tried to land a hit on Pitch. But as she landed on her stronger foot, Pitch dissipated into the shadows, along with the case. Growling in frustration, she whipped around. Realizing now was the best time for escape, she ran over to Jamie's cell and jumped. Using the incredible surge of adrenaline, she shoved her shoulder into the cell. Knowing it wouldn't work, she discreetly lit a flame in her palm and scorched the smallest pillar. She repeated it several times until the free area was wide enough for Jamie to slip through. Cinder shot her arm through the hole and pulled him out. Holding his arm tightly, they hopped down and back onto the platform below. Jamie smiled at Cinder briefly, to which Cinder replied with her own before she realized it, and they sprinted toward the exit.

But all of a sudden, the exit disappeared. In its place was a thick wall of granite with no evidence that there was ever a hole to the world above. Swearing under her breath, she took out another portal globe she had stolen earlier and whispered into it. Handing it to Jamie, she told him to go through the portal and not look back.

"I'm not getting out of here without you!"

"Just do as I say! You have to get out of here, grab Sophie, and warn the Guardians!"

"You met them?" Jamie was shocked. She could see all of them? Not just Jack Frost?

"Yes, yes!" Cinder was increasingly impatient. "Now g─"

Before she could finish her sentence, she yelped in pain. An intense shock took over her system and she fell forward. Struggling to get up, a surreal amount of fear shook her fingers and shattered her chest like glass. Her breaths became ragged and shallow as she tried to force oxygen back into her body. Her mind was light-headed and pounding against her skull so loudly she thought her ears would burst. Cinder propped herself up, elbows quivering, and muttered something incoherent.

Cinder heard Jamie gasp. "Your eyes!"

Cinder began blinking furiously, trying to make sense of the panic. She swore Pitch was in front of her, grinning maniacally. Then he held the case above her. It was brighter than anything else in her vision, and she reached into the air, her hand going through the object. Gritting her teeth, Cinder yelled as more pain churned through her blood, turning it into an even-hotter-than-normal-feeling of liquid fire. She screamed profanity as her arms and legs began to lock up and spasm. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling with wide, blind eyes. The black ribbons were flying around again, and this time, Cinder saw eyes and small, spindly fingers. Then Pitch's face loomed over her, his yellow irises brighter than anything else. His hand reached down and covered her face. A fresh wave of fear nearly swallowed her, flooding her senses with nothingness. She was about to fall under his spell when Jamie's voice floated above everything.

"We've got to go!"

_How did he...?_

A picture of Jack superimposed a picture of an achingly familiar brown-haired boy in the moment of pure fear. Then both began to fall back into blackness, and even her competent memories were failing her. Her mind slowly filled with thoughts of fire and her skin itched and burned.

_Why is Jack...? _She tried to fight the control and keep Jack's face in focus, but it was getting harder and harder. She managed to keep it in focus until a hand appeared, cutting through Jack's face that began to swirl back into oblivion.

The hallucination subsided with a sharp _CRACK_ and then Jamie's hand moved in and then sincere warmth enveloped her and then her vision went white and then it went black and then...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Back to school again, but I'll try to keep updating as I have been. Unfortunately, I didn't get to write the end of the story while I was on vacation. Hopefully, I'll have some time in this semester to do that.**

**Oh, and I guess I should mention that there may be some elements from the books, although I haven't actually read them (Wiki's are great, right?). Accordingly, some properties of them may change either due to ignorance or simple story-telling. **

**Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! :)**


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